Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, has won the ‘CSR Initiative of the Year’ award for its future-tech skilling programme, Samsung Innovation Campus. This award is a part of the ESSCI National Skills Award for Eminence 2024.

The award was conferred by the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) in a ceremony held on 17th January 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd won the award for its flagship CSR programme, Samsung Innovation Campus for creating a programme to skill the youth in future-technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding.

Launched in September 2022, Samsung Innovation Campus up-skilled 3000 students in future-tech courses to make the youth job-ready. Samsung India collaborated with ESSCI for imparting the courses to 18-25 year old students across eight cities in India.

Apart from Samsung Innovation Campus, Samsung also runs Solve for Tomorrow, through which it is empowering the leaders of tomorrow and equipping them with the tools they need to realize meaningful change. Through the programme, Samsung also aims to foster a culture of innovative thinking and problem solving among the nation’s youth.

We are celebrating Samsung Electronics’ 54th foundation anniversary. It is a celebration of our heritage of innovation, culture and technology. For more than five decades, we have been enabling people to transform their lives because true progress happens only when everyone is empowered.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea. We have been a committed partner to the India growth story since the winter of 1995, when we opened a small office in New Delhi. Today, Samsung has two manufacturing facilities, five R&D centres and one design centre. We are committed to creating jobs, building a culture of innovation through advanced technologies, and giving back to society by becoming a fabric of India.

It has been such a wonderful journey in this beautiful country. There is so much diversity around not only in terms of language, culture and food but also in terms of climate, and ecology. Besides this diversity, it’s the demography that serves to inspire. India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. And, it is the youth, and their indomitable spirit of innovation, that will drive the country’s growth.

What is really inspiring is that the youth is constantly trying to find solutions to challenges they see around them. Since these solutions come from their own life experiences, it touches many lives and is therefore more impactful.

I witnessed it first hand when we recently concluded the second year of our Flagship CSR programme, Solve for Tomorrow. The Top 10 teams, representing 25 young innovators, did not come from only the large metropolises but also from some of the remotest towns in India. They came from towns and cities as diverse as Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh, Lakhimpur and Golaghat in Assam, Darjeeling in West Bengal, Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Ernakulam in Kerala – besides of course Chennai and Delhi.

Earlier this year, Samsung Innovation Campus students from the University of Lucknow graduated in AI, IoT, Big Data, Coding & Programming courses in the presence of Shri Yogi Adityanath, Honourable Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh. It was such a proud moment for me to see these students, some from even far off villages in the state, to be ready for the challenges of the future. Samsung Innovation Campus seeks to bridge the gap between college and career.

Shri Yogi Adityanath, Honourable Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh present at the Samsung Innovation Campus Certification Ceremony

We believe the youth from the smallest corners in India have unlimited potential. They have the power to ideate and innovate to solve the biggest challenges in the world.

At Samsung, our Global CSR vision is ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’. With this vision, we want to enable the youth to bring local solutions for global problems. Our Citizenship programmes are inspired by our corporate vision of ‘Powering Digital India’, where we are focusing on the youth of India and empowering them with Smart Education and Upskilling.

Solve for Tomorrow

Solve for Tomorrow is a nationwide education and innovation competition for the Gen Z. We launched it in India in 2021 with the aim of turning the youth’s ideas into action. We were on the lookout for ambitious 16-22 year olds who could solve global issues with game-changing tech solutions. Our winners came from the big cities in India with the most innovative solutions to their problems. In the second year, the competition got overwhelming submissions from youth across cities, towns and villages, symbolic of the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of Bharat.

Young women in Jammu after submitting their applications for Solve for Tomorrow Season 2

Significantly, ideas in Solve for Tomorrow align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They focus on diversity and inclusion, environment and sustainability, education and learning & health and wellness. And, we are seeing a strong community of solvers emerge.

Top 3 winning teams of Solve for Tomorrow Season 2

At a time when the world is constantly stressing over global challenges, especially those around climate change, the solution-driven attitude that the GenZ showcased, made the dream of a sustainable future seem much closer than ever.

Samsung Innovation Campus

We also have a programme engaging with the youth of India to prepare them for a digital future. We call it the Samsung Innovation Campus. With this CSR initiative, we aim to upskill youth aged 18-25 years in future technologies and enhance their employability. These are key technology skills for the youth to excel in their fields.

Launched in India in 2022, Samsung Innovation Campus imparts Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding & Programing courses to the youth. Along with job-ready courses, it also offers hands-on industrial training, expert mentoring and soft skills training to students.

The programme is currently being run in eight cities in India, training 3,000 students on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), to become thorough professionals in their respective fields.

All-girls batch of Samsung Innovation Campus at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh

It was really gratifying to see an all-girls batch of Samsung Innovation Campus at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. This tied in with our focus on creating opportunities for women in STEM. This initiative at Visakhapatnam sought to provide these young girls not just exposure and mentorship but also a supportive community. These elements are essential in inspiring and empowering more girls to pursue and excel in STEM.

STEM is the language of the future and we want to support each one of them with the best skill-sets, especially young women, and I am excited to see their journey. I have been told about the experiences of various young women who have benefited from Samsung Innovation Campus.

For instance, Medapati Vijaya, a student of our Samsung Innovation Campus in Visakhapatnam, has been using her AI learnings in her civil engineering projects on rolling bridges. Similarly, her classmate Preethi is implementing AI in real time projects so that when they step out of college, they are ready with an entrepreneurial mindset. These young women are carving a niche for themselves in the field of STEM with the help of Samsung Innovation Campus.

Creating equal opportunities for all

At Samsung, we take the idea of equal opportunities very seriously. We recognize that not each youth of the country will have access or the resources to turn their ideas into innovations. This is where the idea of equal opportunities for all germinates. We want to bridge that gap, channelize their energy and aspirations and continue to create the leaders of tomorrow.

We are inspired to give wings to every dream in this country and enable ‘smart education’, imbibing a tech-led approach, for future generations. Our overarching mission is to focus on STEM education by giving the youth an opportunity through various platforms of their choice. We then take their learnings to the next level by providing end to end support. For instance, we also provide a cash prize for the top three winners of Solve for Tomorrow to take their ideas to fruition.

I strongly believe that our youth-centric citizenship programmes, Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus, which involve students and academia from across the country, will help build and proliferate a stronger innovation ecosystem in the country. It will also prepare our youth to meet the challenges of a digital future and realize their full potential.

For the last 54 years, we are doing our bit every day to develop a culture of breaking boundaries in ideation, innovation and problem solving. Given the critical challenges of our era, ranging from technological obsolescence to the risks arising out of climate change, innovative thinking would be a critical moat. I see the youth playing a central role in addressing some of these issues and drive change with critical thinking by harnessing the power of digital technologies. Given the talent I have witnessed in the youth at both our CSR programmes, I am confident that we have a very bright future ahead of us.

After intense training sessions and pitching by Top 50 contesting teams, Samsung India today announced the Top 10 teams of the inaugural edition of its national education and innovation competition, ‘Solve for Tomorrow’, that celebrates the spirit of innovation, enterprise and social responsibility amongst India’s Gen Z.

A three-day Design Thinking Bootcamp and pitch event was conducted by FITT and Samsung at the IIT Delhi campus. A total of 118 participants attended the camp and made their pitches to a Samsung jury.

The Samsung jury picked the Top 10 teams that came up with the best ideas in the areas of environmental conservation, making healthcare more accessible to the less privileged, menstrual hygiene for rural women and stress management.

Solve for Tomorrow, a CSR initiative of Samsung, had invited applications from 16-22 year-olds in India to apply for this innovation competition to promote a culture of innovation amongst youth, and support ideas that will transform the lives of people and communities. A record 18,000 plus registrations were received in the inaugural edition.

The top 10 teams will now hone their skills further through engagements with Samsung and its knowledge partner FITT, IIT Delhi, improve their ideas, create prototypes, and pitch to an eminent jury at a Grand Finale in New Delhi scheduled for November. These 10 teams will also feature in a TV series that will be produced by the Network18 Group and be telecast on their national channels and OTT platform Voot through October and November.

For the top three winning teams, Samsung will offer a total of up to INR 1 crore in grants, getting them one step closer to turning their ideas into their dream startups that can help address India’s key concerns in the areas of Agriculture, Education, Environment, and Healthcare.

“We are absolutely delighted to see a variety of transformational ideas from these young participants. What warms our heart more is that they come from diverse backgrounds and from every nook and corner of India. A silent revolution is taking place in India today with the rise of an innovation ecosystem, and Gen Z  is at the forefront of it. Solve for Tomorrow, our flagship CSR program, will continue to mentor and support young minds who are trying to transform the lives of people around them,” said Mr. Partha Ghosh, Head, CSR, Samsung India.

“A platform like Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow is a stepping stone in building a community of young innovators. The innovation ecosystem in India requires a major push and Solve for Tomorrow is just that platform. Indian youth has the capability and the intent to enable change and we are certain that together with Samsung, we will be able to drive that change for the betterment of society,” said Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi.

Here are the top 10 finalists:

Backyard Creators – The identical twins from Tamil Nadu – Raman R and Lakshmanan R – are developing a non-surgical adhesive hearing device that is cheaper than traditional hearing aid implants and eliminates the need for risky skull surgery. The device is suitable for all ages, does not have any restrictions even for children, and offers speech capabilities post-therapy.

Udaan – An all-girls team – of Prisha Dubey, Anupriya Nayak, and Vanalika Konwar – want to help underprivileged women with their menstrual health. Present-day sanitary pads are both expensive and non-biodegradable. The trio is developing eco-friendly, affordable, and washable sanitary pads using shredded sugarcane bagasse.

Alpha Monitor – Hemesh Chadalavada from Telangana has developed a smart wristband to monitor Alzheimer’s patients and alert their caregivers about changes in their behavior. Himesh’s grandmother was also an Alzheimer’s patient. The device monitors the patient’s health parameters such as pulse and blood pressure. A caregiver and doctor are automatically alerted if the patient gets out of bed and starts wandering.

Able Innovation – The team of Pratik Raghuwanshi and Aryan Thosariwal from Maharashtra has developed a smart aid solution for deaf, mute, and blind individuals called Able Glasses that will help them communicate better with people around them. With the help of patented Bone Conduction Transducer technology, these glasses enable the deaf to hear sound. The built-in camera sensor and speaker will speak for the deaf and mute. Combining it with image processing and AI and machine learning will help the blind to visualize their surroundings.

Sputnik Brain – Shankar Srinivasan from Karnataka is developing a wearable device that helps reduce stress. He is productizing pleasure through safe brain modulation to tackle the global issue of fatal stress and fulfilling the unmet need for a chemical & adverse-effect free tech. His safe brain modulation wearable device for mental health transmits waves within the FDA’s limit of frequency, intensity, and Pulse Repetition Period to mood centers in the brain.

Planeteers – The team of three young women – Riya P Dey, Nikita Pathak, and Akshita Gaba – from Uttar Pradesh is building an autonomous underwater vehicle called Aquarius that is capable of detecting micro-nano plastics inside deep ocean beds and collecting them in an accumulator.

CAD – Rushil Saraswat from Rajasthan is working on an affordable and portable device that can monitor the ECG of a person on the go. It gives a live update through a smartphone app and can even call an ambulance and some contacts if it detects the extreme condition of cardiac arrhythmia.

Biopatch – Hritik Jaiswal and Animesh Kumar from Delhi are developing a patch that one can wear on his or her shoulder or belly to track blood glucose trends and avoid diabetic complications. Their prototype has been tested by endocrinologists.

SVAR – The team of Tejas Kumar, Syed Mohd. Husain and Ujjwal Mathur from Delhi has developed a machine learning embedded mobile app that automates and personalizes speech therapy. The app, which is available in regional languages as well, offers a virtual speech therapist 24×7 at an affordable price. In the app, children who pronounce words correctly are rewarded with points, motivating them to work hard to enhance their speech.

JNV Fbd Maan – The team of Ajay, Akshaya, and Tarun from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Faridabad is developing a wheelchair that can convert into a crutch using automation. This can be used by the differently-abled or anyone who is injured to be self-reliant, reducing their dependence on caregivers.

At the end of the boot camp, each of the top 50 team members was awarded a certificate of participation. They also received vouchers worth INR 1 lakh for online courses in design thinking, STEM, innovation, and leadership, among others.

Over the next six weeks, the top 10 finalist teams will work with mentors from Samsung and IIT Delhi to fine-tune their ideas and build a prototype that they will showcase at the finale pitch event. They will also visit Samsung India’s headquarters in Gurugram and its R&D centers in Bengaluru and Noida where they will interact with young Samsung employees and researchers. They will also experience the Samsung product ecosystem at the iconic Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru.

The top 10 teams will be given Samsung hampers, which will include exciting Samsung products.

The top three winning teams will get a total of INR 1 crore in grants. In addition, winning teams will also get an 85-inch Samsung Flip interactive digital board each for their respective schools and colleges.

With the grant, winners will get the opportunity to work with mentors from IIT Delhi for 6 months and get access to an incubation center at the IIT Delhi campus. During these 6 months, they will work on their ideas and take them to the stage where they can seek consumer validation for their prototypes.

Samsung India announced the launch of the inaugural edition of Solve for Tomorrow in June 2022.

For more information, log on to – www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow

(L to R) Ms. Maragatham Kumaravel, Member of Parliament; Thiru Ponniah P, IAS, Kanchi District Collector; Mr. Jehwa Lee, Vice President, HR, Samsung India Chennai Plant and Mr. CVMP Ezhilarasan, MLA Kanchipuram at the inauguration of Samsung Smart Healthcare Program in Kanchipuram

Samsung India has introduced its Samsung Smart Healthcare program that provides affordable and quality healthcare to patients from the economically and socially weaker sections of society at Government Headquarters Hospital, Kanchipuram near Chennai.

As part of its Smart Healthcare program, Samsung provides advanced and innovative healthcare equipment such as ultrasound and digital radiology (x-ray) manufactured by the Company free to select government hospitals across the country.

The Samsung Smart Healthcare facility was inaugurated by Thiru P Ponniah, District Collector, Kanchipuram in the presence of other dignitaries.

Thiru P Ponniah, District Collector, Kanchipuram said, “Development on the healthcare front is the need of the hour today. I am happy that Samsung India has made a start on that front and has come forward to set up programs like Samsung Smart Healthcare. On its part, the government is working towards creating better medical facilities for the public and to fulfil this vision, this collaboration with Samsung for the Smart Healthcare program has been set up.”

(L to R) Mr. Thiru Ponniah P, IAS, Kanchi District Collector; Ms. Maragatham Kumaravel, Member of Parliament and Mr. Jehwa Lee, Vice President, HR, Samsung India Chennai Plant (at the podium) at the inauguration of Samsung Smart Healthcare Program in Kanchipuram

“Samsung believes in transforming communities and creating a better life for people. We are pleased to partner with Tamil Nadu government to offer healthcare solutions with the effective use of technology. Through this collaboration, we aspire to provide many more people in Kanchipuram and its adjoining areas easy access to advanced healthcare facilities. Samsung Smart Healthcare combines good infrastructure, latest technology and the best available medical expertise,” said Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India.

Samsung Smart Healthcare program aims to support the Government’s efforts to benefit communities with limited access to quality healthcare. With innovative products such as ultrasound, digital radiology and accessories that facilitate healthcare intervention and multiple medical examinations, since 2015, Samsung has collaborated with 16 government hospitals across to country for the Samsung Smart Healthcare program. Doctors, technicians and radiologist are also trained to handle state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and software.

Many students said the lantern will be their steady companion, both when they are studying, as well as while doing the household chores.

Rachana, a student of Class XIIth, said the lantern will be of great use to her because she faces a lot of power cuts in her locality. So far, Rachana had to make do with a kerosene lamp during outages. The new solar lamp will not only be more convenient, but also environmental-friendly, she added.

Rachana said the solar lantern will be of great help during outages

A large number of students at the Girls Senior Secondary School in Pataudi aspire to become teachers, when they grow up. Engineering was the second most popular choice as a career goal.

But some students like Puja Sharma have set their eyes on bigger goals. “I want to become an IPS and serve the country,” she said. The Indian Police Service or IPS is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India.

Puja wants to become an IPS officer

Students added that they were happy with the growing recognition women are getting in the country. “Women are playing an important role in the development of the country. We must respect them,” said Tamanna, also a student of Class XII.

The lantern-distribution event at the Girls Senior Secondary School in Pataudi was part of Samsung India’s citizenship initiative to support gender diversity and the girl child. The country’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer has so far handed 10,000 solar lanterns to girl students across Noida, Gurugram and Chennai.

Nearly 40 volunteers from Samsung India went to the school in Pataudi to meet and interact with students

“At Samsung, our aim is to harness the Company’s legacy of innovation to positively transform communities and create a better life for people through different initiatives. Education of the girl child is a key priority and through this initiative we want to reach out and light up the education of 10,000 girl students,” said Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India.

Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India, distributing solar lanterns at Pataudi

This initiative is a small step towards helping these young girls grow up to become individual role-models, he added.

The lanterns, approved by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, are equipped with a solar panel and come with a three-year product warranty.

Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India (left) with Mr. Gautambhai Navalchand Shah, Mayor of Ahmedabad

Samsung India has introduced the Samsung Smart Healthcare program that provides affordable and quality healthcare to patients from the economically and socially weaker sections of society at Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai General Hospital in Ahmedabad. This hospital comes under the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

As part of the program, Samsung is providing advanced and innovative healthcare equipment such as ultrasound and digital radiology (x-ray) manufactured by the Company.

Samsung Smart Healthcare has been designed by the Company to provide government hospitals with state-of-the-art medical equipment with the aim to make affordable healthcare accessible to large number of patients from Ahmedabad and its neighbouring localities, especially from the economically weaker sections.

The Samsung Smart Healthcare facility was inaugurated by Mr. Gautambhai Navalchand Shah, Mayor of Ahmedabad and Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr. Gautambhai Navalchand Shah, Mayor of Ahmedabad said, “The government is working towards creating better medical facilities for the public and keeping in line with that vision, we set up the collaboration with Samsung for the Smart Healthcare program. Through this collaboration, we aim to address some of the challenges associated with public health infrastructure, paving the way in providing superior and comprehensive healthcare to patients at the hospital.”

“Samsung believes in transforming communities and creating a better life for people. We are pleased to partner with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to offer healthcare solutions with the effective use of technology. Through this collaboration, we aspire to provide many more people in Ahmedabad and its adjoining areas easy access to advanced healthcare facilities. Samsung Smart Healthcare combines good infrastructure, latest technology and the best available medical expertise,” said Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India.

Samsung Smart Healthcare program aims to support the Government’s efforts to benefit communities with limited access to quality healthcare. With innovative products such as ultrasound, digital radiology and accessories that facilitate healthcare intervention and multiple medical examinations, since 2015, Samsung has collaborated with five government hospitals across to country in Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Delhi. Doctors, technicians and radiologist are also trained to handle state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and software.