At a virtual award ceremony on February 19, 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Hon Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia, congratulated the participants of the India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE). Hon Karen Andrews MP, Australia’s Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, and Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, India’s Principal Scientific Adviser, also spoke at the occasion. The India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE) was conceived during the India-Australia Virtual Leaders’ Summit, conducted on June 4, 2020, between the Prime Ministers of India and Australia. The I-ACE Hackathon was co-hosted by India’s Atal Innovation Mission and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), with the goal of allowing students and start-ups/MSMEs from both countries to present innovative solutions for the development of a circular economy across the food system value chain.
About India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon 2023
The India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE) is a collaboration between the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, the Government of India, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, with the goal of enabling students and startups/MSMEs from both countries to foster innovative solutions for the development of a circular economy across the food system value chain, with the goal of increasing our planet’s long-term health and resilience. I-ACE seeks to help young and bright students, as well as startups and MSMEs, achieve their goals of creating a sustainable future.
Also Check: Community Innovator Fellowship
ICAE Themes
- Packaging innovation packaging waste reduction
- Food supply chain innovation reducing waste
- Creating potential for the reduction of plastic waste
- Critical energy metals and e-waste recycling
Key Highlights for India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon
| Conducted by | India’s Atal Innovation Mission and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research organization |
| Name of Program | India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon |
| Objective | Will focus on the identification and development of innovative technology solutions by students |
| Benefits | The winners will get awards and rewards of 2 lakh and 5 lakh |
| Eligibility criteria | Each team must have at least two members and a maximum of 5 |
| Official website | I-ACE |
Objective India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon
The objective of the India Australia Circular Hackathon is to enable talented innovative students and start-ups from Australia and India to address common national issues through innovative technology solutions. I-ACE will focus on the identification and development of innovative technology solutions by students, startups, and MSMEs of both nations.
Benefits India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon
- Shortlisted students and startups/MSMEs will be invited to the hackathon, where two winners (one student and one startup/MSME) will be declared per subject at an award ceremony in each nation.
- Winning teams from both nations will be awarded financial rewards. The winning Indian student and startup/MSME will each get a reward of Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh, as well as post-hackathon product development prospects.
Eligibility Criteria
Each team must have at least two members and a maximum of five members from the same entity/institute listed on the application form. The India Australia Economy Hackathon (I-ACE) is open to the following entities:
- Entities recognized as Startups under the Startup India initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPI)
- Entities recognized as Micro Small and Medium Enterprises with an Udyam Registration number by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Please keep in mind that all team members must be from the same institution, institute, startup, or MSME as the team leader.
Also Check: Tata Innovation Fellowship
Final Hackathon
The India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE) finals will be held online from February 9th to February 11th, 2021. The Hackathon event included three main components:
- Sessions of Masterclasses
- Sessions of Mentoring
- Sessions of Evaluation
An impressive team of subject matter experts on Circular Economy from both India and Australia led the 5 masterclass sessions. Each session featured a combined presentation by an Indian and an Australian speaker, with both an Indian and an Australian audience in attendance. Each session focused on a certain subject and was useful for learning about different aspects of the circular economy. Subject matter/business experts facilitated mentoring sessions for all finalists, aiding them in crystallizing their presentation/pitch and addressing technical and business questions. A total of 13 mentors have been allocated to 39 Indian teams, while the same is true for Australia.
The finalists presented their solutions/proposals to a panel of judges from India (on the first two days) and both India and Australia (on the third day) on all three days of the Hackathon Evaluations, addressing the following points. After 3 days of intense competition, 4 student teams and 4 start-up teams from each of the 4 themes were selected as winners from India and likewise from Australia.
Contact Details
If you have any questions, please contact us at india.ace@gov.in. Applicants from Australia should contact us at i-ace@csiro.au.