GUWAHATI | Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 25 said the Northeast has the potential to emerge as one of India’s “living laboratories” for technology and practical problem-solving, as he launched the North East Seva Innovation Challenge (NESFIC) in Guwahati. Speaking at the launch of ‘NESFIC-Ashtalakshmi for Viksit Bharat’, Sarma said the initiative would create a platform for young innovators to identify problems faced by citizens, government departments and industries and develop solutions that could eventually be deployed on the ground.

“The Northeast can emerge as one of India’s living laboratories for technology and problem-solving,” he said, citing the possibility of solutions devel oped for flood management in Assam being adapted elsewhere in the country and low-cost healthcare technologies designed for remote communities finding wider applications. Sarma said NESFIC was aimed not simply at encouraging startups to develop new products, but at directly connecting innovators with real-world challenges.“A startup does not always begin in a large office or a corporate laboratory.

It can begin in a hostel room, a college workshop or an institutional laboratory,” he said, while urging engineering colleges, polytechnics and ITIs across the Northeast to participate. 50 challenges identified Under NESFIC, 50 real-world challenges have been identified, including 40 from government departments and 10 from industry organisations.

The challenges cover areas where technology-based interventions could address problems faced by citizens and institutions.Sarma said a key objective was to enable the government to become the first customer for young innovators. He noted that startups often face difficulties entering government markets because conventional procurement processes can require turnover thresholds, prior experience and bank guarantees.

Among the challenges identified by the Health and Family Welfare Department are the early detection of pregnancy-induced hypertension, improving access to obstetric ultrasound in remote areas, infection control in labour rooms, quicker identification and referral of sick newborns and early detection of congenital deformities. “If a young engineer, doctor or startup can develop a solution that enables an ASHA worker in a tea garden or a char area to identify a health danger at an early stage, it would represent innovation at its highest level,” Sarma said.

The Housing and Urban Affairs Department has also identified urban drainage as an area requiring technological intervention, including systems that can automatically detect blocked culverts in Guwahati. 150 startups to be shortlisted According to the roadmap announced by the chief minister, 150 startups will be selected at the Northeast Innovation Conclave in Guwahati in late November. Three startups will be shortlisted for each of the 50 identified challenges. The selected startups will receive idea-stage support under the Assam Startup Policy and work with the re spective problem owners using relevant data and testing sites. They will also receive mentoring from partner institutions.

At the demonstration day scheduled for February next year, the best startup for each challenge will receive a minimum viable product grant of Rs 20 lakh. Deep-technology solutions will be eligible for grants of up to Rs 40 lakh. Sarma said NESFIC could help connect the Northeast’s existing strengths with emerging technologies and provide a pathway for innovative ideas to move from the concept stage to practical implementation. The initiative, he said, is intended to create a stronger link between young innovators, government agencies, industries and the communities that ultimately use the solutions.