Minister informed that over 25 grassroots startups and hundreds of enterprises supported by NIF, some with more than ₹10 crore annual turnover, are thriving under NIF’s support.
- Established in 2000 with DST support, NIF promotes grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge.
- Its mission is to build a creative, knowledge-driven society by supporting grassroots innovators through policy and institutional support.
About Grassroots innovations (GIs)
- Definition: Indigenous solutions created by actors in civil society and supported by limited resources, which aim to address local situations and often achieve sustainable development (UNDP).
- Early humans were grassroots innovators.
- Key Characteristics
- Bottom-up approach: Emerge from informal, non-market settings.
- Socially driven: Focus on community needs rather than profit. GIs tackle social injustices and environmental issues ignored by mainstream models
- Creative & inclusive: Encourage collaborative innovation and local knowledge-sharing.
- Examples: Honey Bee Network (India) and Technologies for Social Inclusion movement (Latin America).
Key Barriers to Grassroots Innovation
- Limited collaboration with key stakeholders.
- Difficulty in securing resources.
- Hard to expand while maintaining stability.
- Governance and learning challenges related to maintaining momentum and developing the group
Dedicated National Policy, Government Grants, and Simplified regulations, Better ICT access and Entrepreneurial education are key to nurturing thriving GIs.
