New Delhi, December 09, 2023: The India Nutrition Collaborative has announced the launch of the Poshan Innovation Platform (PIP), India's first collaborative incubator for innovations in maternal and child health. The platform, with a Trust Fund of INR 3 crores for 8 winning innovations, aims to transform the nutritional status of mothers and under-five children in the last mile.
The PIP, hosted by The Catalyst 2030, India Nutrition Collaborative, provides a collaborative space for educational institutions, start-ups, university incubators, civil society networks, and businesses to present innovations with proof of concept. It facilitates mentorship, seed funding, and investment opportunities for successful scaling.
The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India is the Knowledge Partner, hosting the application process on www.manthan.gov.in. The platform is supported by organizations like Vitamin Angels, JHPIEGO, Transform Rural India (TRI), UNICEF India, and public health nutrition professionals Dr. Rajan Shankar and Dr. Smriti Pahwa.
A jury will select eight innovations based on proof of concept, implementation evidence, sustainability, impact, and last-mile delivery. Eligible innovations will receive financial support and mentoring through the PIP Grant Challenge Trust Fund, while others will undergo mentorship and peer learning through the Poshan Innovators Network (PIN).
Mentors from academia, government, media, private sector, and NGOs will refine winning innovations, initiating collaborative efforts with grassroots organizations, Ministries, and State governments for pilot programs at various levels. Successful innovations will be scaled up through long-term funding from the corporate sector at the end of the 24-month cycle.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Sapna Poti, Director of Strategic Alliances at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, expressed, "The Poshan Innovation Platform is a unique initiative focused on mentoring and supporting innovators with distinctive and scalable approaches through a robust network of partners and allies. Poshan Innovation Platform is partnering with the Office of PSA, GoI through its Manthan Platform, providing necessary expertise with the belief that the PIP will create opportunities to implement scalable innovations addressing maternal and child health in the country. The Poshan Innovation Platform will collaborate and be featured on Manthan under the nutrition section, and we anticipate that the platform will meaningfully complement existing government initiatives aimed at improving the nutritional status of women and children in India."
Dr. Rajan Shankar, Chief Advisor and Mentor for the PIP said, “India has made significant progress in health and development indicators, improving the lives of millions. However, the last-mile improvement of service delivery requires a whole of society approach. This unique initiative aims to facilitate collaborations among different stakeholders, including government, community service organizations, and the private sector. The goal is to leverage and enable India's vast tech talent and capability pool with the objective to address some of the persisting challenges hindering progress toward a malnutrition-free India.”
Dr. Smriti Pahwa, Chair, India Nutrition Collaborative, said, “In order to combat undernutrition in the country, there is an urgent need to address the problem of ‘ineffective delivery and uptake’ by employing a human-centric approach, leveraging technology and learning from the successes of other sectors. By creating a conducive environment for innovations with proof of concept to thrive, the Poshan Innovation Platform can prove successful in building nutritional equity in the country.PIP could be a pathway to assess and missed opportunities for impact in maternal child health space.”
The PIP was launched at the Bangalore Design Week, co-organized by the Government of Karnataka and the SDG Action Labs. The Catalyst 2030, India Nutrition Collaborative, focuses on mobilizing human capital to address nutrition inequity in the country.
For more details, visit www.manthan.gov.in.
