Popular electronics brand Samsung has launched the third edition of its flagship CSR initiative – 'Solve for Tomorrow', in strategic collaboration with the Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, and the United Nations in India.
As per a press release issued by Samsung, the Solve for Tomorrow initiative is aimed at ushering in a culture of innovative thinking and problem-solving amongst the country's youth.
The latest edition was inaugurated by JB Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, Dr Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director and Scientist 'G', Ministry of Electronics and IT, and Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, in the presence of other dignitaries.
The release stated that the 'Solve for Tomorrow' program this year introduces two distinct tracks – School Track and Youth Track, each focusing on a specific theme and targeted towards different age groups.
While the School Track has been designed for students aged 14-17 years and focuses on the theme “community and inclusion”, the Youth Track targets individuals aged 18-22, with a focus on the theme “environment and sustainability”.
Besides, the School Track underscores the importance of uplifting underprivileged groups, improving accessibility to health and social inclusion for all through social innovations and hence 'Solving for India'.
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Whereas, the Youth Track focuses on innovative ideas for reducing carbon footprint, protecting the environment, and promoting sustainability and hence 'Solving for the World'.
Applications began on April 9 at samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow. The window will close on May 31 at 5 PM.
Highlighting the initiative, JB Park, President & CEO, of Samsung Southwest Asia, said that the mission at Samsung revolves around fostering the next generation of innovators and catalysts for social change. “Solve for Tomorrow is truly shaping up as a platform for India's youth to come up with meaningful innovations that can improve the lives of people,” he added.
The CEO further informed that the CSR initiative has had a positive impact in the first two editions with the next generation scaling greater heights, and embarking on their social entrepreneurship journey.
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Park said that in the third edition, Samsung wants to play a crucial part in strengthening the innovation ecosystem in India.
Dr Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director, and Scientist 'G' at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology highlighted that Environment and sustainable development are amongst the priority agenda of the Government of India, and added that programs like 'Solve for Tomorrow' are a testament to realizing the vision of the Government of India, by harnessing the power of youth.
Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi while hailing the institution's continued partnership with Samsung in the 'Solve for Tomorrow' program said that the collaboration underscores the commitment to fostering innovation and empowering young minds to drive positive change in society.
Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, expressed his delight to be participating in the third edition of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow programme. He said that the UN system in India works with and supports initiatives by the private sector that promote the ambitions and leadership of young people, like The Solve for Tomorrow programme.
Details about the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow programme:
- School Track: Can be participated by students in the age group of 14-17 years. Individuals or teams of up to 5 members can submit their ideas in the “Community & Inclusion” theme.
- Youth Track: Can be participated by 18-22-year-olds wherein individuals or teams of up to 5 members can submit their ideas in the “Environment & Sustainability” theme.
About the themes:
- “Community & Inclusion” focuses on empowering underprivileged groups by improving accessibility to health, improving learning methods and access to education, and ensuring social inclusion for all.
- “Environment & Sustainability” emphasizes environment protection, reducing carbon footprints, and promoting sustainability.
How will participants benefit?
- Participants will be provided with hands-on training from various industry experts including Samsung, MeitY, IIT-Delhi, and technical support from the United Nations in India.
- They will get exclusive mentoring and coaching to build their ideas into prototypes.
- Opportunity to attend a curated innovation walk with focused interactions with Samsung leaders, and milestone-based grants for prototype development and enhancement.
- In School Track: 10 semi-finalists teams will get an INR 20,000 grant for prototype development & Samsung Galaxy Tabs. 5 finalist teams will get an INR 1 Lakh Grant each for prototype enhancement & Samsung Galaxy Watches.
- In Youth Track: 10 Semi-finalists will get an INR 20,000 grant for prototype development and Samsung Galaxy Laptops, and 5 finalist teams will get INR 1 Lakh grant each for prototype enhancement and Samsung Z Flip Smartphones.
What is in store for winners?
- In School Track, the Winning Team will be declared the “Community Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a seed grant of INR 25 Lakh for prototype advancement. The Schools of the winning teams will also receive Samsung Products to boost educational offerings, encouraging a problem-solving mindset.
- In Youth Track, the Winning Team will be declared the “Environment Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a grant of INR 50 Lakh for incubation at IIT-Delhi. The colleges of the winning teams also receive Samsung products to boost their educational offerings, encouraging social entrepreneurship.
- Participants will also compete for prestigious accolades such as the 'Social Media Champion Award' and the 'Goodwill Award'. The 'Social Media Champion Award' includes a prize of INR 50000 for social media champions in each track which will be announced at the innovation walk. The 'Goodwill Award' will felicitate the title winner with a prize of INR 1 Lakh for the audience choice idea in each track, which will be announced at the Grand Finale.
For more information, visit the official website samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow.
