Bangalore, Karnataka, India
The India leg of Imagine Cup, Microsoft's annual world-wide premier student technology competition, concluded today with Team Novices@work from Vivekananda Educational Society's Institute of Technology, Mumbai, winning the top honors and walking away with the prize money of Rs. 40,000. This team, comprising of Krunal Dedhia, Paras Doshi, Saili Dharia and Veenit Mavani will now compete with the best teams from over a hundred countries at the global finals of the Imagine Cup to be held in Paris in July 2008, where a total of USD 2,00,000 (approximately Rs 80 lakhs.) is on offer for the top teams. The theme this year, 'Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment', inspired students to create real world, dynamic and powerful software solutions using Microsoft tools and technology.
Organized in association with NASSCOM and the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE), IIM-Ahmedabad, the Microsoft Imagine Cup, now in its sixth year, saw registrations by more than 18,000 Indian students from colleges across the country. Out of these, the top eight teams were shortlisted to compete for the first prize and the honor of representing the country. These eight eams showcased their software solutions in front of an eminent panel of judges comprising of academicians and industry representatives - with Team Novices@work finally being chosen as the best. Team SKAN (Bharti Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Mumbai/ Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues Institute of Technology/ Mumbai Vivekananda Educational Society's Institute of Technology, Mumbai) and Team Green Waves (Delhi University) were judged the first and second runners-up, winning Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively.
Congratulating the finalists and expressing his views on the young talent in India, Tarun Gulati, General Manager (Marketing & Operations), Microsoft, India, said, "The Imagine Cup encourages young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference. It is not a mere competition but a tool to empower the youth. The theme this year, for instance, has specific relevance not just to India but the whole world, given that environmental issues cannot be ignored or wished away".
Rajdeep Sahrawat, Vice President, NASSCOM added, "Sustaining the environment is a fundamental obligation for each one of us, both as firms and individuals. NASSCOM's recently launched Green IT initiative which aims to leverage technology innovations to achieve a sustainable environment is an important step in this direction. Platforms like the Imagine Cup offer a huge impetus to highlight important issues like sustainable environment and develop and nurture innovation capabilities among the Indian student community. All the finalists left us tremendously impressed with their presentations and it is heartening indeed to see the innovativeness of the young students."
This year's competition also saw a new chapter added to it: the Innovation Accelerator programme, a unique opportunity designed to provide top-level training for students to help them turn technology concepts into a business reality. This will be implemented in partnership with CIIE, IIM-Ahmedabad. Teams Green Waves, Novices@Work and SKAN will spend two intensive weeks at the premier institute, getting valuable inputs and guidance to further develop their designs and make them a commercial reality.
Commenting on this new initiative, Prof. Samir Barua, Director of IIM-Ahmedabad, said, "Our endeavor is to spot deserving ideas and give them the chance to go further with the Innovation Accelerator. These teams will be trained in how to take their IP to the next level of business development - the end result is to equip them with business acumen, in addition to the talent they already possess."
More than 1,85,000 students, from nearly every country in the world, entered this year's competition, surpassing last year's count of 1,00,000 participants from 100 countries. Open to students around the world, Imagine Cup spans a year, beginning with local, regional and online contests whose winners go on to attend the global finals held in a different location every year.
"The Imagine Cup is such an exciting event and allows students like me and my team to do something that really matters. The entire process has not only been a great learning experience, but also given us the tools to make a difference to world," said Krunal Dedhia, the team leader of Team Novices@work.
For more information on Imagine Cup, please visit: www.imaginecup.com
Synopsis of the project work from Team Novices@work
A self-configurable wireless-sensor mesh-network system that monitors and analyzes agricultural-soil parameters such as moisture-content, nutrient composition, temperature, pressure and light. This system can be used by the government or NGOs at a large scale in order to provide recommendations to farmers on crop-related decisions.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft Corporation India Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation USA. It has had a presence in India since 1990 and currently has offices in thirteen cities - Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Pune and Coimbatore.
Please visit: www.microsoft.com/india/msindia
About NASSCOM
NASSCOM® is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPO industry in India. It was set up in 1988 to facilitate business and trade in software and services and to encourage advancement of research in software technology. A not-for-profit organization, registered under the Indian Societies Act, 1860, currently NASSCOM is headquartered in New Delhi, India with regional offices in the cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata.
About CIIE, IIM-Ahmedabad
IIM-Ahmedabad, India's premier management institute, was set up in Ahmedabad in 1961 as an autonomous body with the active collaboration of the Government of India, Government of Gujarat, and industry. CIIE was set up by IIM-Ahmedabad in 2001 and is supported by Government of Gujarat, Wadhwani Foundation and as well as National Innovation Foundation. Since then, a host of organizations, professionals, academicians and networking partners within India and across the globe have been closely associated with the initiatives of CIIE. Some of the ongoing projects are also being backed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy - GOI, Piramal Foundation and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Please visit: www.ciieindia.org
Source: Microsoft Corporation India Private Ltd (Business Wire India)
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