The national education and innovation competition challenges young innovators to use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to solve real-world problems for a chance to win corpus funding of INR 1.5 crores to build their prototypes.

Last year in SFT, the participants took up the challenge of solving real-world problems in areas concerning education, environment, healthcare, and agriculture. This year, Samsung India has broadened the scope of these interest areas with the vital addition of ‘Diversity & Inclusion’, apart from expanding the rest of the key areas- Education and Learning, Environment and Sustainability, Health and Wellness.

Strengthening its’s commitment to India, Samsung has aligned SFT 2023 themes with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for India to drive a culture of nation-specific innovation among the youth.

If this one-of-a-kind nationwide innovation challenge has caught your interest, then it’s important to understand these 4 key themes and their need in the Indian context.

Education and Learning

It is estimated that nearly 80% of jobs around the globe are going to be in the STEM field within the next decade. India has been at the forefront of preparing its youth for the STEM-based global future with its various ‘Digital Education’ initiatives and becoming the first country to introduce ‘Design Thinking’ in its school curriculum. However, the Covid pandemic showed us the importance of being prepared for unprecedented times.

Samsung realizes the need for innovative solutions to tackle such challenges and prepare our country’s youth to be ready on a global scale. That’s why ‘Education & Learning’ has been kept as a core theme for SFT 2023.

Environment and Sustainability

Last year, SFT saw a significant trend among India’s youth toward solving problems related to the environment and sustainability, with 50% of the entries addressing the issue.  India also aims to become a net-zero carbon emission nation by 2070. As a key theme for SFT, we are inviting innovative ideas that can help India achieve its goals towards ‘Environment and Sustainability’.

Health and Wellness

The government of India seeks to achieve Universal Healthcare for all by 2030 by ensuring access to a healthy lifestyle and well-being. However, issues like proper infrastructure and technology in remote areas need innovative solutions to ensure healthcare access for all in the country. SFT seeks to support the Indian government in achieving this goal by supporting innovations in ‘Healthcare and Wellness’ by the nation’s young innovators.

Diversity and Inclusion

An inclusive and equitable India will help the nation enable the full potential of its human resources and eliminate distinction and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, disability, language, and more.  Giving more power to the rising consciousness, Samsung has introduced Diversity and Inclusion as a new theme for SFT 2023 so that innovative, tech-based solutions can be explored in the area.

Here’s everything you need to know about Solve for Tomorrow’s innovation themes –

Education: Enabling education for a sustainable tomorrow remains pivotal to India’s economic growth. With Samsung India, the pillar represents a window of opportunity for participants to contribute to self-reliance and support a better livelihood for thousands of people across the country. By 2030, India aims to eliminate gender disparity, upskill the number of youth and adults, and ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.

Environment: Climate change is disrupting national economies with massive carbon footprint and ever-rising temperatures posing a serious concern. Under its Solve for Tomorrow program, Samsung India aims to empower participants to combat the disproportionate impacts of this global phenomenon. The pillar seeks to strengthen adaptive capacity to climate-related calamities and find solutions to save our planet for future generations.

Healthcare: Poor health is a major contributor to mental illness and deprivation amongst individuals. With Solve for Tomorrow program, advents including the eradication of diseases, addressing new challenges like COVID-19, global access to medicine and vaccines, and current and new health emergencies, are some of the key areas that need innovation.

Agriculture: India’s key livelihood agriculture, shares a major chunk of the overall GDP. The sector, however, is still dawned with challenges like deteriorating natural resources and climate change. With this program, the prospect to overcome hurdles extends to thinking wisely about enhanced hybrid varieties and implementing improved management practices, which conserve soil and water resources apart from other solutions.