IIT Madras and Thales announce fourth edition of Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC 4.0), invite applications across India
As part of its CSR efforts in India, Thales has extended its support for IIT Madras’ Carbon Zero Challenge for second consecutive year.
Top 15 teams will be given prototype funding up to Rs 500K INR per team and the final 5 will be given additional seed grant of up to 1000K INR per team including access to the IITM incubation ecosystem.
The deadline to apply for the contest is 18 February 2024.
Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, in association with Thales, announces the launch of the fourth edition of the Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC 4.0), an all-India Eco-Innovation and Entrepreneurship contest. The contest invites applications from students, early-stage startups, faculties, research scholars and anyone having validated proof of concept with the potential to transform it into a working prototype. The deadline for the contest is 18 February 2024.
The theme for CZC 4.0 is “Circularity in Resources Conservation”. The contest’s primary goal is to foster cutting-edge deep-tech and circular economy solutions that address environmental challenges in the Energy, Materials, Agriculture, Air, and Water domains. By leveraging the collective ingenuity and expertise of talented individuals from across India, the challenge seeks to build eco-start-ups that can address planetary crises such as Climate change, Pollution, and Food security.
The CZC aims to facilitate the lab-to-market transition of lab-scale models to prototypes. The last edition, supported by Thales and Aquamap (Center for Water Management and Policy at IIT Madras) was highly successful, with 480 applications from across 25 states in India. Out of these, the shortlisted top 25 teams in the last edition received financial support of up to Rs.5 lakhs over six months to build their prototypes and evolve their business models. In the end, seven winning teams were selected who received start-up seed funding of up to Rs. 10 lakh each. Thales has again extended its support for the fourth edition of the Carbon Zero Challenge as part of its CSR efforts in India, marking the second consecutive year of its involvement in the initiative.
Some of the prototypes from the last edition of the CZC are:
Sewage/ Waste management: A synergetic approach to produce biochar from faecal sludge and spent graphite
Sustainable Food: Development of plant-based meat analogues
Biogas: An electricity-driven microbial process for boosting the calorific value of biogas through CO2 utilization
Innovation in agriculture: Valai Peat – Banana Plantation Post Harvest Management Solution
Water management and Wastewater treatment: Removal of water hyacinth using “BARCO” technology, technology for removing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) bacteria
Energy: NCF coated device for space heating and water heating using solar energy
What distinguishes CZC is its comprehensive support system. Beyond ideation, it provides substantial backing to top-performing teams, offering financial support, mentorship, entrepreneurship training, startup seed grants, and the potential for incubation at IITM.
Evaluation process: Based on the preliminary evaluations, 100 teams will be shortlisted, of which 15 will be given prototype funding up to Rs 5 lakhs per team. The teams will be trained on customer discovery, business models and sustainability metrics by experts.
The top 15 teams will be provided with funds for prototype development and will be monitored for 6 months. At the end of 6 months, teams will be given an opportunity to showcase their prototype at IIT Madras and will be evaluated by subject matter experts. The top 5 teams will be shortlisted for receiving the start seed grant of up to 10 lakhs and continued support, including access to the IITM incubation ecosystem.
“The Carbon Zero Challenge aims to accelerate low carbon innovations and entrepreneurship to leave a sustainable world for future generations. It’s a pioneering initiative by Sustainability Venture Studio (SVS), part of the School of Sustainability (SOS) at IIT Madras, fully supported by Thales.
CZC funds, mentors, and trains clean climate tech innovators, particularly in resource protection and conservation such as soil, water, energy, materials and air systems, treatment and recovery of valuable resources from waste and water, including E-waste, EV batteries, agro-waste, industrial and household waste. The program aims to bridge the gap between research and technology development in academia and the market demands by translating eco-innovations to successful eco-startups in India,” said Prof. Indumathi, IIT Madras.
“At Thales, we are committed to fostering innovation that aligns with our values of sustainability and environmental responsibility. The Carbon Zero Challenge has proven to be an exemplary platform for driving eco-innovation and nurturing entrepreneurial spirit. Thales is proud to continue collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, for the fourth edition of CZC, advancing our shared vision for a sustainable future. By supporting initiatives like CZC, we aim to catalyse transformative solutions to ease the global fight against climate change and environmental degradation. We are excited to witness the impact the participating teams will make in addressing such critical challenges” said Mr. Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.
For more information on timelines, team composition and application, visit https://czeroc.in/czc-2022-crc/apply-online-czc-2022/
About Thales
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies within three domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Digital Identity & Security. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.
The Group invests close to €4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key areas such as quantum technologies, Edge computing, 6G and cybersecurity.
Thales has 77,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2022, the Group generated sales of €17.6 billion.
About Thales in India
Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2,000 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport, Aerospace and Digital Identity and Security markets. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India – one in Noida focused on digital identity and security business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs.
About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’ The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres. The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 600 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
Recognized as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) in 2019, IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the fourth consecutive year in India Ranking 2022 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for seven consecutive years – from 2016 to 2022. It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) in 2019, 2020 and 2021. ARIIA Ranking was launched by the Innovation Cell of Ministry of Education.
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