INSPIRE Awards – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge)

Disbursement of INSPIRE Award of ₹ 10,000/- into bank accounts of students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme .

Mentoring and funding support for prototype development to 1000 students shortlisted after SLEPC for participation in NLEPC.

1,00,00 awards are given every year.

1,000 Prototype Models/Projects will participate at the Annual National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC) to be organised by DST.

Jury would shortlist top 60 Models/Projects for National Awards and future ideation.

Top 60 Models/Projects will be selected for National Awards and top three (3) will be given National Awards (Gold / Silver / Bronze medals).

The top 60 National winners will also participate in Festival of Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

The projects having potential of Product/Process development will be further supported for commercialisation.

The projects having possibility of filing the patents will be supported by the NIF/TIFAC.

Every year selected students will also be sent to Japan under Sakura Exchange Program by DST.

Eligibility Criteria for Student

The applicant should be in the age group of 10-15 years.

The applicant should be in Class 6th to Class 10th.



Eligibility Criteria for School

All schools in the country are eligible irrespective of Central/State Board affiliation.

Upto 2-3 nominations from each school are accepted every year.



Selection Criteria

Selection of ideas/innovations will be based on novelty, social applicability, environment friendliness, user friendliness and comparative advantage over the existing similar technologies.

Online

Before filling out the registration, the school must have a valid email ID. It is advisable to use the school email ID which can be used, even if the authority changes.



Step 1: Registration

Visit the Official Website/Portal of INSPIRE-MANAK.

Create an Account: Click on the "Authorised Login" icon at the top of the page. Then click "School Authority".

On the next page, click "For New Registration - Click Here", you will be taken to the registration page.

On the next screen, enter the 11-digit School U-DISE Code / School Code.

On the next screen, fill in the following mandatory fields: State / UT *, Categorising Schools *, School Board *, Revenue District *, Revenue Sub-district (Tehsil / Taluka / Block etc.) *, Education District *, Name of the School *, Complete Postal Address *, PIN Code *, Official Phone of School (if any), FAX Number (if any), E-mail Address of School Authorized officer *, Web Address (if any), Mobile Number of School Authorized officer *, School Code, if any (as allotted by district/state education authorities).



Step 2: Approval and User Credentials.

After Registration, you will get the Application Number and when the District Authority approves, you will get the User ID and Password.



Step 3: Application

Use the User ID and Password to log in.

Use the "Student Nomination" option to start nominating the students.

In the online form, fill in the following mandatory fields and upload the required documents. Make any necessary corrections.

Acknowledge and agree to the terms and conditions, declaration, and privacy policy.

Click the "Forward Application" button to send the application, then click "Generate Acknowledgement". You'll receive an Acknowledgement, save it for future reference.



Help and Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions, there is a support system in place, including contact information for technical support or a helpline: 02764-261139, 096384 18605, inspire@nifindia.org, 09:30 AM To 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday.



Timelines

Letter to all State Education Secretaries/SNOs for sending fresh nominations/proposals: By 27th March.

Receipt of nominations along with Idea / Concept details: By 31st July

Shortlisting of nominations by NIF/DST: By 15th August

Sanction of ₹10,000/- INSPIRE Award amount to students and funds to DLEPC and SLEPC for holding exhibitions: By 15th September

Mentorship workshop and sanction of funds for prototype development and preparation of prototype models to State Level Awardee: By 1st November

Holding of NLEPC: 1st week of December

Participation at the Annual Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Month of March

11 Digit School U-DISE Code / School Code

Student Scanned Photograph (JPG/JPEG/PNG/GIF/BMP, 2 MB)

Idea/Innovation Synopsis Document (PDF/JPG/JPEG/Word, 2MB)

Brief Writeup on the Idea/Innovation (not exceeding 300 words, in English only)

Details of the Aadhaar-linked Bank Account of the Nominated Student

Idea/Innovation Photo (optional)

Idea/Innovation Video/Audio (optional)

Brief Description of the Objective Criteria to select the Students (100 words)

Utilisation Certificate (UC)/ Statement of Expenditure (SE) should be sent to DST immediately after the DLEPC/SLEPC to enable quick release of funds for the next time. UCs should be in GFR 2017 format.