Explained: All Your ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ FAQs Answered Here

1. What is the eligibility criteria for Solve for Tomorrow?

Candidates who:

• Are aged between 16 to 22 yrs on the last day of the competition can apply.
• For participants between 16-18 years, parental consent required.
• Individuals or teams of up to three people can apply for the challenge.
• The concept should be original in terms of science and technology, or it should be a wholly new product with a social or economic consequence. Without any innovation, new business models may not be considered.
• The team/individual should not have previously obtained funds/awards for the identical proposal from any agency or through other competitions for more than 5 lakhs.
• Can I apply for more than one theme?

No, each team can only submit one proposal to the Solve for Tomorrow challenge. Teams are free to pitch their unique concept to tackle problems for the future in any one domain they are most familiar with.

2. Can one participant participate in two different teams?

No

3. What language should be used in the PowerPoint proposal?

Only the English language is accepted.

4. Can overseas students participate in the competition?

This competition is open for Indian citizens only.

5. Will my idea be made public?

If your proposal is selected for further consideration, the issue description and other components of your proposal may be published on our website, utilized as publicity materials by media partner, and presented at various phases of the program, including the final pitch event. Technical details would be kept confidential in circumstances when IP filing is in progress.

6. How are ideas evaluated and by whom?

In the first round, applications will be examined for its relevance to a social problem, technical feasibility, market potential, and team competence, by subject matter experts from the “Foundation of Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT) – IIT Delhi.”

Your idea will be thoroughly examined using the following criteria:

• The significance of the problem statement & its impact on society
• The proposed solution’s novelty and viability
• Qualifications of the group or individual
• Plan for commercialization

In the second and third round, your ideas will be judged by a jury composed of industry veterans from Samsung.

7. How will I know if I am successful?

Following the initial entries in Phase 1, 50 shortlisted teams will be announced in July 2022. FITT, IIT Delhi will directly communicate the results to the successful entrants by email. After Round Two submissions by the top 50 teams, top 10 teams that move to the final round will be announced in August 2022.

8. If I am shortlisted, are there specific dates I need to be available at?

As part of the competition participants will be offered online training on design thinking, advanced digital masterclasses and business skills to equip them with the tools and techniques to develop a winning idea.

If you advance to Round Two (Top 50 teams), you will need to be available to attend online training sessions exploring design thinking methodology and other digital technologies as well as mentoring sessions starting July 2022.

If you make it through to the final round (Top 10 teams), you will need to be available for further training on innovation, entrepreneurship, prototyping, IPR and other related topics starting September 2022.

Finalists will also need to be able to attend the awards ceremony in November 2022.

Samsung & FITT will confirm exact dates at a later stage.

9. What is the program structure?

The program is divided in 4 phases:

Phase 1: In phase 1, applications will be received on the website from all over India. These applications will be reviewed by experts, who will then select top 50 teams for the next round. The website portal allows teams to check the status of their applications.

Phase 2: In the second phase, teams are mentored by industry and academic professionals during a three-day boot camp held at IIT Delhi. Teams are then requested to submit videos with regards to their idea. These videos will be evaluated by Samsung jury who will then select top 10 finalists.

Phase 3: The 10 finalist teams will be provided with advanced training as an orientation towards business activities. The journey and origin of their idea may be captured. Mentoring for proof-of-concept development, business plan and soft skills required for entrepreneurs will be provided. Teams are then requested to finally pitch their idea in front of a jury panel. 3 winning teams will be announced in this stage.

Phase 4: In this final phase, teams are awarded a grant to develop a prototype for customer validation. Incubation support will be offered by FITT, IIT Delhi for the prototyping phase.

10. What activities will be done in the offline bootcamp?

A bootcamp will be organized at IIT Delhi campus for three days. Teams will be trained to clearly identify their paths ahead and ensure a problem – solution fit. Teams will also be provided with extensive training on design thinking and prototyping.

11. Who will bear the travel and accommodation cost for the bootcamp?

FITT, IIT Delhi will take care of your accommodation and travel expenses (guidelines will be mailed to teams after selection). For participants under the age of 18, FITT, IIT Delhi will provide accommodation for their parents. Parents are expected to manage their travel on their own.

12. Will Samsung or FITT own my idea?

No, you will be the owner of the concept and the intellectual property. The role of Samsung and FITT will be to assist you in developing your concept. If you are chosen, FITT will offer you the opportunity to incubate in the FITT, IIT Delhi incubation center.

13. My question is not answered here

Please contact the FITT-IIT Delhi team at sft@fitt-iitd.co.in if you have any further queries or require assistance.