Infosys Foundation announces second edition of Social Innovation Awards

New Delhi (PTI): Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of IT major Infosys, Monday announced the second edition of its Aarohan Social Innovation Awards and has committed Rs 1.5 crore in prize money to reward innovation in the social sector.The awards, established last year, are given across six categories -- healthcare, rural development, destitute care, women's safety and empowerment, education and sports, and sustainability.

"The Aarohan Social Innovation Awards 2018 was a huge success. We witnessed a good response from social innovators across the country and eventually, we had selected 12 innovators...This year, too, we hope to discover these hidden social innovators and help them scale their product," Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty told PTI. She added that the Foundation has committed Rs 1.5 crore for the awards this year.

The submission process for the awards starts Monday and will continue till September 30. Murty said the entries must be of a fully functioning prototype, and not just a concept, idea or mock up. "The winners will get an opportunity for residential technical mentorship on the IIT-Hyderabad campus for up to 12 weeks to help them further develop and scale their solutions. The submissions will be assessed on five broad criteria -- application to a social problem or need, innovative use of technology, originality of ideas, ease of use and the quality of presentation," she added.