Manthan, derived from the Sanskrit word which means "churning of ideas," encapsulates the platform's core philosophy. Manthan is an initiative led by the Office of PSA which scales Science & Technology-based social impact and Industry research/innovations in India.
The Strategic Alliance Division fosters collaborations to drive research and innovation with a wide range of partners, including the demand side i.e, Industry, Government agencies, multilateral and philanthropic organizations, and international bodies, and the Supply side i.e. Institutes, Startups, MSMEs, Civil Societies and Incubators. The division markets, sources lead, helps articulate problem statements on the platform ensuring research and innovations are demand-driven. In this manner, the division encourages cutting-edge research and development (R&D) of innovative and cost-effective technologies making a huge social and Industry impact. To scale the above collaborations a platform was archited.
Launch: PSA, GoI Prof Ajay Sood launched the platform on August 15, 2022, it is a digital platform that aims to promote collaboration between various stakeholders and the scientific research and development ecosystem to help meet India’s National Missions and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through sharing Industry or philanthropic challenges or opportunities for partnerships on emerging technologies, other scientific interventions, as well as those with a social impact.
The opportunities sourced by the division are in the form of research problem statements, internships, infrastructure, research projects, and market-ready innovations. Around 7889 crores+ (INR) worth of opportunities have been uploaded on the platform by various opportunity providers.
Manthan has received Industry and International recognition in the past two years as mentioned below:
Promoting collaboration at scale between industry and scientific R&D ecosystem
Sharing Opportunities related to R&D, innovation, and implementation of social impact projects
Repository of existing proposals aligned to SDGs
Virtual & Open exhibitions for promoting innovation
Knowledge-sharing sessions and focus group discussions
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Identifying Opportunities
The Strategic Alliance Division initiates the process by discussing potential projects with prospective partners.
Demand side partners upload their problem statements or opportunities on the Manthan Platform.
Problem Statement and Opportunities
Application and Selection
Partners evaluate applications from researchers, startups, and innovators for uploaded opportunities, selecting the most promising with assistance from platform subject matter experts.
Once a project is selected, the partnering institutions collaborate to develop new technologies and innovations.
Collaboration and Funding
Showcasing Successful Collaborations
The final step in the process involves showcasing successful collaborations on the platform.
The Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India has shared a vision for the establishment of Centers of Excellence (CoEs). These CoEs are envisioned to be hubs of innovation and research, primarily focusing on sustainable technologies. Beyond mere academic exploration, they aim to bridge the gap between theoretical potential and practical implementation. By translating promising sustainable technologies into market-ready solutions, these centers will also foster the development of new, viable business models. This initiative underscores the government's commitment to championing sustainability, fostering technological advancement, and stimulating economic growth in a manner that aligns with global environmental and societal needs.
The key pillars of a Center of Excellence are: -
Pilllar-1: Technology screening from National and Global Ecosystem
Pillar-2: Evaluation & Incubation of cohort of start-ups to work jointly with Researchers on shortlisted ideas.
Pillar-3: Real-life scale testing and demo/expo and Pillar-4: Support to scale-up promising technologies, business, and skill development, developing microentrepreneurs.
Centre for Excellence
– IIT Palakkad
Industry Partners:
Gates Foundation, HDFC Bank, IAPMO, Toilet Board Coalition, ERAM Scientific
– (IIT Dharwad
Industry Partners:
Selco Foundation, Honeywell, Lowe’s, Infineon and
– IIT Kanpur
Industry Partners:
Bloomberg, Clean Air Fund
- IIT Madras
Industry Partner:
NBCC
- IIT Delhi
Industry Partners:
Clean Air Fund, World Bank, Aerogram
– TERI
Industry Partner:
ICICI Securities
- IIT Madras
Industry Partner: IBM
- Pune Cluster
Industry Partners:
BASF, Biocon Foundation, Infosys, IBM, IITMAA
- NIT Patna
Industry Partners:
IT firm
– IIT Ropar
Funding Partner:
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Funding Partner: Ministry of Education
Early Stage/R&D Innovation (TRL Level 1-5) projects refers to groundbreaking advancements in fundamental science and technology. These initiatives involve the exploration and development of novel concepts, methodologies, and applications across diverse fields such as materials science, biotechnology, and engineering.
Early Stage / Research and Development Innovation Projects
The project aims to support the Indian aerospace industry's decarbonization goals by promoting SAF production with new HEFA technology and local feedstocks.
Funding Partner:
Airbus
The project aims to develop cost-effective energy-dissipating technology to create earthquake-resistant housing in India.
Funding Partner:
PNB Housing
The project aims to address AMR by enabling both consumers and hospitals to track antibiotic usage, improve data access, raise awareness, and facilitate data collection.
Funding Partner:
Syngene International
The project focuses on constructing affordable housing in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities using off-site 3D printing technology.
Funding Partner:
ICICI Home Finance
The aim is to scale up a pilot project that converts rice husk into micro-cellulose and biogenic silica, increasing daily production from 25 kg to 100 kg and developing infrastructure for further refinement.
Funding Partner:
Kotak Bank
Industry Market Ready Innovation projects focus on developing innovative solutions that are ready for immediate application in various industries. These projects aim to bridge the gap between research and commercialization by delivering products, technologies, and processes that can be quickly adopted by businesses and often involve the use of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced materials.
Industry Market Ready Innovation
Partners:
ArcelorMittal, Goldman Sachs, IT major, Mastercard, Tata Trusts, Texas Instruments, Wells Fargo, Jay Chaudhary, PNB Housing, American Express, ABInBEV, Govt. Of Meghalaya, Chubb, HT Parekh, AMNS, Avery Dennison, Nuance, Siemens, Western Digital
During India's second COVID-19 wave, 43 MediCAB extension hospitals with 3,492 beds across 15 states and 2 union territories were established, bridging health infrastructure gaps in rural areas and smaller towns.
The challenge addressed India's clean water issues with innovations in purification, wastewater treatment, and distribution, awarding top winners ₹1 crore and ₹75 lakh for scalable technologies.
Partner:
Ashirwad
The challenge aimed at enhancing the energy storage and efficiency where innovations from winners include superior battery technology, DER integration, use of second-life batteries, and waste-derived nanomaterials enhancing battery performance.
Partner:
Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)
The "Indigenisation of Diagnostics (InDx)" project established a robust supply-chain of Indian MSMEs for COVID-19 diagnostic reagents, addressing production bottlenecks and quality issues, and scaling up to produce one million test kits daily.
Partner:
Rockefeller Foundation, TCS
KisanMitr empowers Indian farmers by providing tailored advice through the Atma-Nirbhar Krishi App, linking micro farmers to markets via Himalayan Bazaar, and supporting weavers with KalaMitr.
Partners:
Tech Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, NABARD, Akshaya Patra, ICICI Foundation, NASSCOM Foundation & IFFCO
100 units of "Emvólio," a portable, battery-operated refrigeration system, were deployed to enhance COVID-19 vaccine delivery in remote Northeast India, ensuring a reliable cold chain to the last mile and to support future routine immunizations.
Partner:
HT Parekh Foundation
Implementation projects involve providing resources, services, or expertise directly to a project rather than offering financial aid. This approach focuses on supporting initiatives with tangible assets such as equipment, materials, technology, or professional skills. These projects enable organizations to contribute to and participate in the successful execution of various initiatives by offering direct, practical assistance.
Implementation Projects
The project aims to develop assistive technologies like synthetic memories and fall detection sensors to enhance dementia care, focusing on improving independence and supporting caregivers with innovative solutions and cognitive activities.
Partners:
Lowe’s and NIMHANS
The Centre of Excellence on WASH, a collaboration between NBCC and IIT Madras, constructed a pre-engineered lab structure at IIT Madras Thaiyyur campus, inaugurated in November 2023. This project advances research in water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Partner:
NBCC
The Hackathon engaged over 80 institutes in a series of virtual events to boost high-performance computing innovation, awarding three top teams $10,000 in AWS credits each. This initiative focused on optimizing HPC infrastructure in life sciences.
Partners:
Intel & AWS
The Mobile Infection Testing and Reporting (MITR) Labs initiative, aimed to meet the critical need for safe and accurate COVID-19 testing in rural India by producing mobile diagnostic labs that utilize technology to enhance testing capabilities.
Partner:
Toyota, Collins Aerospace, SBI Foundation, Tata Kirloskar Motors
The project was a national, multi-center study that assessed the long- term protection and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines, analyzing factors like emerging variants and nutritional status.
Partners:
Hindustan Unilever Ltd. & Unilever Industries Private Limited
The project aimed at the establishment of a clinical research platform dedicated to infectious and neglected rare diseases, focusing on translational health research in genomics and advanced cell biology.
Partner:
HUDCO
School innovation refers to the development and implementation of new educational methods, technologies, and strategies within schools to enhance teaching and learning. It encompasses a range of initiatives such as integrating digital tools, fostering collaborative learning, adopting personalized learning approaches, and encouraging creative problem-solving. Innovation in schools also extends to administrative and operational improvements to support educators and students.
School Innovation
The project introduces a platform with 35 interactive games across 10 modules to revolutionize chemistry teaching, alongside training educators in game-based pedagogy. It also aims to establish a nationwide open-source game repository and train 200 teachers annually for three years.
Partner:
BASF
The Khagolshala Asteroids Search Campaign engaged students in discovering asteroids using high-quality data, contributing to NASA and JPL's NEO compilations, with 20 Astronomy and Space Education Labs established in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya’s. The initiative led to nine provisional asteroid discoveries and trained students as NASA-partnered astronomy trainers
Partners:
NASA and Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL
A gamified mobile platform for girls aged 13–18, aimed to shape career choices and empower the next generation in STEAM fields. With content on emerging tech and sustainability, it targeted 10,000 girls in Navodaya schools to bridge the gender gap in STEM.
Partner:
EY
A competition for young minds up to 18, fosters creative thinking in technology, society, and the environment. Winners enjoy prizes like trips to the Museum of the Future Dubai and one year mentoring subscriptions
Partner:
Homi Labs
The challenge aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications to the younger students with a preference to rural areas of the country.
Partner:
Spacekidz
These opportunities and initiatives focus on supporting individuals who show potential in various fields, such as technology, science, and social impact. These opportunities include financial support, mentorship, and access to a global network of professionals and experts. Initiatives may involve offering specialized training, hands-on experience, and collaborative projects.
Fellowships / Internships / Scholarships
The XROS Fellowship Program supported 100 Indian developers across 24 XR projects, with 67% being student developers and 33% working professionals, promoting diversity and inclusion, with 20% women developers. Geographically, over 70% hailed from Tier 2 and 3 cities, chosen from over 10,000 applications and 2,800 project proposals.
Partners:
Meta & FICCI
It offers fully funded Master's degrees or 8-12 week UK fellowships. This year, 29 fellows were selected across Cyber Security, Science and Innovation Leadership, and South Asia Journalism: 9 for Cyber Security, 12 for Research Science and Innovation Leadership, and 8 for South Asia Journalism.
Partner:
British High Commission
Social Impact Opportunities refers to initiatives, projects, and programs designed to address societal challenges and improve the well-being of communities. These opportunities involve collaborative efforts across various sectors, including government, academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations, to create sustainable solutions for issues such as health, education, poverty, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. These opportunities aim to drive positive change, empower marginalized groups, and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Social Impact Opportunities
Project O2 for India aimed to addressing the surge in demand for medical oxygen during the second wave of COVID-19 and created a domestic capacity for future needs.
Partners : American India Foundation, BNP Paribas, Climate Works, Foundation CSC, Edward Foundation, eInfochips, Hitachi, Hope Foundation, IT major, NMDC, Samhita, USAID, and Walmart.
The project "SWARAJABILITY" is a customized job platform designed to empower persons with disabilities (PwDs) through technology, skill development, and job linkages
This project aimed to solve the problem of manual scavenging, a major social issue in India.
Partners:
WIN Foundation, GAIL (India), Capgemini, NSE Foundation and L&T Technology Services Foundation
The Women in STEM section caters to women achievers, opportunities, proposals and innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The users can request for membership as a Women in STEM user with the required consent, from the user interface and once inducted the other users on the platform can reach out to them through the messaging functionality available on the platform. The profile of the users inducted as among the Women in STEM will also contain their area of expertise.
Women in STEM
Partner:
Bayer
Partner:
BASF Chemicals
Partners:
British High Commission, FICCI FLO, UN Women & Red Dot Foundation
Partners:
Royal Society of Chemistry & Red Dot Foundation
Partners:
Climate Collective Foundation and New Energy Nexus, India
Partner:
Skyroot Aerospace
Science communication opportunities and initiatives aim to bridge the gap between scientific research and the general public. These opportunities involve disseminating scientific knowledge, discoveries, and advancements in an accessible and engaging manner. Initiatives may include workshops, seminars, educational campaigns, and media collaborations to raise awareness and promote public understanding of science and technology.
Science Communication
Partner:
Amazon Prime
Partner:
Netflix
Partners:
IFFCO, DD Kisan
Partners:
Sansad TV
Manthan aims to empower various stakeholders to scale up their interactions with researchers and innovators and facilitate R&D/innovation and share challenges focused on emerging technologies and other scientific interventions, as well as those with a social impact. It also provides to focus on thematic areas i.e. Industry Research and development, Women In STEM, Science Communication, Government Challenges, International partnerships, RUTAG, Clusters etc.
The objectives of Manthan are fulfilled through the following four pillars:-
Pillar 1
Opportunity creation that includes a call for early stage innovation, market-ready innovation, implementation projects, COE, Fellowships, etc.
Pillar 2
Submitting proposals for collaboration, R&D and proposals submission against opportunities.
Pillar 3
Innovation Exhibition—showcasing innovations like a virtual expo; partners can organise an exhibition.
Pillar 4
Conference/Meeting Facility—providing a space for collaboration using virtual meeting rooms for organizing webinars, conferences, stakeholder consultations, etc.
Industries
Embassies/ Other Governments
Coalitions/ Consortiums
Philanthropists
Multilaterals
Public Sector Units & Co-operatives
MSME Sector
Government – State & Central Line Ministries
Entrepreneurial Support Organizations
Research Institutes
Incubators & their Startups
Startup & SMEs
S&T Clusters, Centers of Excellence (CoEs)
Our vision is to position India as a global leader in science and innovation, driving forward the frontiers of knowledge, addressing societal and Industry challenges, and propelling inclusive growth. With a steadfast commitment to national development, we envision a future where India's prowess in science and innovation powers sustainable progress, enriching the lives of its citizens and contributing to solving global issues.