IIT Madras Newsletters

The Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC), a pioneering initiative by IIT Madras, is an all-India Eco-innovation and entrepreneurship contest with a visionary mission. Its aim is nothing short of creating a global impact by addressing three of the most critical planetary crises: Resource Depletion, Pollution, and Climate Change. Through powerful interventions, innovative technologies, entrepreneurship, and policy initiatives, CZC is determined to tackle these challenges head-on.

About the Program

The contest’s primary objective is to nurture cutting-edge deep-tech and circular economy solutions specifically tailored to address environmental challenges within the domains of Energy, Materials, Agriculture, Air, and Water. By harnessing the collective ingenuity and expertise of talented individuals from across India, the challenge aspires to incubate eco-startups capable of making a significant difference in combating Climate Change, Pollution, and Food Security.

The motto of the program, ‘Ideate, Innovate, Incubate,’ encapsulates IIT Madras’s unwavering commitment to foster an ecosystem where students and early-stage startups from all corners of the country can brainstorm and innovate for the greater good of society, ultimately becoming job creators.

What sets this contest apart is its distinctive multi-stage support system for participants. Beyond merely seeking innovative ideas, it goes the extra mile by providing ‘Financial and Mentor Support’ to the top-performing teams, enabling them to transform their concepts into functional prototypes.

Partners and Collaborations

The CZC initiative originated at IIT Madras in 2017 and has received support from various organizations and sponsors, including the U.S. Consulate Chennai, Polaris (a Virtusa company) in collaboration with Shaastra (IIT Madras student technical festival), Industrial Waste Management Association (IWMA), Thales Group (a French multinational company), and Aquamap (Center for Water Management and Policy at IIT Madras). Thales Group has once again extended their support for the fourth edition of the Carbon Zero Challenge, marking the second consecutive year of its involvement in the initiative.

Underpinning the CZC initiative is its mission to identify, mentor, and provide financial support to clean-tech innovations in India across five thematic areas: Air, Energy, Materials, Soil, and Water, further solidifying its commitment to a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.

CZC 4.0 Offers-

1. Award upto Rs.5 lakhs for prototype development
2. Mentorship and Entrepreneurship Training
3. Startup seed grant of upto Rs.10 lakhs
4. Chance to get incubated at IITM
5. Visibility and Networking opportunities

If your team has an eco-innovation with a validated proof of concept in any of the (Air, Water, Soil, Energy, and Materials) 5 domains and is interested in implementing your technology in the field through entrepreneurship, we strongly encourage you and your team to apply for CZC 4.0.

Challenge Timelines –

1. Based on the preliminary evaluations, 100 teams will be shortlisted, of which 15 teams 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.
2. The top 15 teams will be provided with funds for prototype development and will be monitored for a period of 6 months.
3. 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.
4. The top 5 teams will be shortlisted for receiving the start seed grant of upto 10 lakhs and continued support, including access to the IITM incubation ecosystem.

The deadline for submission of the application is 30th November 2023.

If you have any questions about the contest, please write to us at carbonzerochallenge@gmail.com, or call us at 044-22575328/+91-9566092982 between 9.30 am – 5.30 pm from Monday to Saturday.

To apply for this opportunity please visit https://czeroc.in/czc-2022-crc/apply-online-czc-2022/.

Original News Link

https://thestorywatch.com/job/carbon-zero-challenge-iit-madras-%E2%82%B915l-grant/