Community Innovator Fellowship launched for SDG based social enterprises

NEW DELHI: On the occasion of ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’ on Friday, February 11, NITI Aayog launched the Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF) in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme India. Developed as a pre-incubation model, the fellowship aims to provide youth with an opportunity to establish their social enterprise. The focus of such enterprises will be on Sustainable Development Goal based solutions for solving community issues.

The one-year long intensive fellowship programme has been designed for aspiring community innovators, irrespective of their social and economic background. During the course of the fellowship, each fellow will be hosted at one of the Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs) of the Atal Innovation Mission. Each fellow shall acquire SDG awareness, entrepreneurial skills, and life skills while working on their ideas at the centres.

The ACICs will provide fellows with suitable resources in terms of operating facilities, co-working space, maker labs, and a dynamic business network, thereby nurturing the youth-led innovations. The focus of the CIF programme is on facilitating knowledge and capacity building among aspiring community innovators. This is one of the ways through which AIM is trying to achieve participation of youth in mainstreaming social enterprise as a culture in the start-up ecosystem and promote participation of women entrepreneurs from different regions in India.

Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, addressing the launch event said that the fellowship aims to provide young community innovators with necessary infrastructure and knowledge building in their entrepreneurial journey. He added that the goal of the initiative is to harness the creativity and innovation potential of Indian youth. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said that creation of a pre-incubation space for young and energetic innovators is essential for building vibrant and inspiring solutions for community problems.