Samsung, electronics brand, has announced the third edition of its flagship CSR initiative – ‘Solve for Tomorrow’, in strategic collaboration with the Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, and the United Nations in India. With Solve for Tomorrow, Samsung aims to usher in a culture of innovative thinking and problem solving amongst the country’s youth. The CSR programme recognizes the power of innovative solutions and their ability to transform lives, making a strong social impact, and strengthening Samsung’s vision of #TogetherforTomorrow #EnablingPeople.
This year, the ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ programme introduces two distinct tracks – School Track and Youth Track, each dedicated to championing a specific theme and targeted towards different age groups. Both the tracks will run simultaneously, ensuring equal opportunity and a level playing field for all students.
The School Track, is tailored for students aged 14-17, focusing on the theme “community and inclusion”. The track underscores the importance of uplifting underprivileged groups, improving accessibility to health & social inclusion for all through social innovations and hence ‘Solving for India’.
The Youth Track on the other hand, targets individuals aged 18-22, with a focus on the theme “environment and sustainability”. The track seeks innovative ideas for reducing carbon footprint, protecting the environment & promoting sustainability and hence ‘Solving for the World’.
Solve for Tomorrow 2024 was inaugurated by JB Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Sr. Director and Scientist ‘G’, Ministry of Electronics & IT, and Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, in the presence of other dignitaries. JB Park, speaking on the occasion said that the company’s mission revolves around fostering the next generation of innovators and catalysts for social change. “Solve for Tomorrow is truly shaping up as a platform for India’s youth to come up with meaningful innovations that can improve the lives of people,” he added.
Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director and Scientist ‘G’, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said, “Environment and sustainable development are amongst the priority agenda of Government of India. It is an opportune moment to combine technology with the human capabilities for accelerating economic growth. Indian youth, having innovative mind and skills, cares deeply for the environment. Using radical innovations, various global grassroots issues and challenges could be addressed. Programmes like ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ are a testament to realise the vision of the Government of India, by harnessing the power of youth.”
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow at a Glance
Who can participate: 14-17 year-olds in School Track – individually or in teams of up to 5 members can submit their ideas in the “Community & Inclusion” theme and 18-22 year-olds in Youth Track –individually or in teams of up to 5 members can submit their ideas in the “Environment & Sustainability” theme
Application themes:
- “Community & Inclusion”, under School Track, caters to empowering underprivileged groups by improving accessibility to health, improving learning methods and access to education, and ensuring social inclusion for all
- “Environment & Sustainability”, under Youth Track, will focus on environment protection, reducing carbon footprints and promoting sustainability.
What will they get: Hands-on training from various industry experts including Samsung, MeitY, IIT-Delhi, and technical support from United Nations in India. In addition, participants will get exclusive mentoring and coaching to build their ideas into prototype, an opportunity to attend a curated innovation walk with focussed interactions with Samsung leaders, and milestone-based grants for prototype development and enhancement.
School Track: Semi-finalists 10 teams will get INR 20,000 grant for prototype development & Samsung Galaxy Tabs. Finalists 5 teams will get INR 1 Lakh Grant each for prototype enhancement & Samsung Galaxy Watches
Youth Track: Semi-finalists 10 teams will get INR 20,000 grant for prototype development & Samsung Galaxy Laptops. Finalists 5 teams will get INR 1 Lakh grant each for prototype enhancement & Samsung Z Flip Smartphones
What do winners get:
School Track: The Winning Team will be declared as the “Community Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a seed grant of INR 25 Lakh for prototype advancement. The schools of the winning teams will also receive Samsung Products to boost educational offerings, encouraging a problem-solving mindset.
Youth Track: The Winning Team will be declared as the “Environment Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a grant of INR 50 Lakh for incubation at IIT-Delhi. The colleges of the winning teams also receive Samsung products to boost their educational offerings, encouraging social entrepreneurship.
Where can they apply: www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow
From when: Starting April 09, 2024
Till when: 5 PM IST on May 31, 2024
Programme Details
School Track: Solving for India
In the school track, the students are invited to form teams of up to five members and submit their innovative ideas under the ‘Community & Innovation’ theme. The programme will progress through four stages: application window, regional rounds, innovation walk, and grand finale.
During the application window, participating teams will receive digital certificates of acknowledgment. The first shortlist will comprise of regional shortlists where 50 teams will be selected. In the subsequent regional rounds, these 50 teams will pitch their ideas to a Jury. From here, 10 semi-finalists teams will advance to the innovation walk, where they will attend workshops at Samsung’s Research & Development centres and regional headquarters, followed by a National Pitch Event, where these 10 semi-finalists will pitch their ideas to a jury at IIT Delhi. As a reward, each team will receive a grant of INR 20,000 for prototype development and the latest Samsung Galaxy Tablets. Selected from the National Pitch Event, 5 finalist teams will undergo one-on-one training and pitch their solutions to a grand jury, with each team receiving a grant of INR 1 Lakh for prototype enhancement besides the latest Galaxy Watch for all participants. The winning team at the Grand Finale will be declared as the “Community Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a seed grant of INR 25 lakh for prototype advancement and exciting Samsung Galaxy products for their school.
Youth Track: Solving for the World
In the Youth track, the aspirants will form teams of up to five members and submit their innovative ideas under the theme of “Environment & Sustainability”. The first shortlist will comprise of regional shortlists where 50 teams will be selected. In the subsequent regional rounds, these 50 teams will pitch their ideas to a Jury. From here, 10 semi-finalists teams will advance to the innovation walk, where they will attend workshops at Samsung’s Research & Development centres and regional headquarters, followed by a National Pitch Event, where these 10 semi-finalists will pitch their ideas to a jury at IIT Delhi. As a reward, each team will receive a grant of INR 20,000 for prototype development and the latest Samsung Galaxy Laptops. Selected from the National Pitch Event, 5 finalist teams will undergo one-on-one training and pitch their solutions to a grand jury, with each team receiving a grant of INR 1 Lakh for prototype enhancement besides the latest Galaxy Z Flip smartphone for all participants. The winning team at the Grand Finale will be declared as the “Environment Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a grant of INR 50 lakh for incubation and exciting Samsung Galaxy products for their college.
The two tracks do not compete against each other, and each track will have separate curated training, mentoring and immersive learning opportunities as per the themes and the age groups.
In addition to the main competition, participants will have the opportunity to compete for prestigious accolades such as the ‘Social Media Champion Award’ and the ‘Goodwill Award’. The ‘Social Media Champion Award’ includes a prize of INR 50000 for social media champions in each track which will be announced at the innovation walk. The ‘Goodwill Award’ will felicitate the title winner with a prize of INR 1 Lakh for the audience choice idea in each track, which will be announced at the Grand Finale.
To find out more and register for the competition in India, visit www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow. Application entry closes at 5 pm on May 31, 2024.
