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Grassroots technological innovations by definition are need-based, simple, cost-effective and sustainable. The possibility of these technological solutions addressing local constraints in an effective way is reasonably high, simply because these solutions originate from someone who has first-hand experience of the issues involved. On the other hand, given the lack of financial and technical resources present with the grassroots innovators, many grassroots innovations are rudimentary and limited in terms of design. The experience of NIF shows that quite often people at the grassroots develop solutions without any or with very limited external assistance. The magnitude of demand also varies depending on how widespread the need is, how important the element of regional specificity is and so on. This describes the challenges and opportunities for grassroots innovations.

In essence, these innovations address the key needs of grassroots consumers, which have not been met or satisfied by the existing Trickle-Down products and services. Hence, there is ample scope for wealth creation by linking grassroots need-based technologies with formal sector technical & commercial knowledge, to make them scalable and commercially attractive. There is a lot to be done on this front.

Therefore, there is a need to build a value chain around these innovations and to provide incubation support, if the benefits from these innovations have to be disseminated to consumers far and wide.

In part execution of the mandate of National Innovation Foundation of generating wealth for the grassroots innovator and practitioners of tradition knowledge the Business development section facilitate incubation of green grassroots innovation and example of traditional knowledge, in the process generating wealth for the innovator, practitioners of tradition knowledge and supply change stakeholders. It covers five sets of activities mainly positioning of grassroots innovation and example of traditional knowledge across application domains, scouting entrepreneurs, selling business opportunities, providing handholding support to new enterprise when it is most susceptible to various market risk and facilitation diffusion of socially relevant technologies.

Business Development division at NIF primarily undertakes the following activities:

• Identify application domains and conduct market research to ascertain techno-commercial feasibility of innovations
• Coordinate with various entrepreneur/industry associations, management institutions, civil societies, non-governmental organization and incubators to scout entrepreneurs and mentors, to mobilize management support and explore investment opportunities for setting up enterprise, wherever possible.
• Encourage various industry associations and other developmental bodies to set up mechanisms for licensing innovations for business development and equitable benefit sharing with the innovators and traditional knowledge holders.
• Help raise resources for pursuing various activities for innovation value chain.
• Provide financial assistance to innovators, traditional knowledge holders and other players in the supply chain for all activities related to technical and business incubation.
• Help promote and diffuse innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge practices through market and non-market channels.
• Ensure delivery of incubations services i.e. technical, commercial and handholding support at innovators’ doorstep.

GIANs have been set up by NIF, with geographical jurisdiction, for incubating and commercializing various grassroots innovations. The first GIAN was set up at Ahmedabad to incubate innovations from the western state of Gujarat (with inclusion of Maharashtra and Goa later on). Subsequently GIANs were set up at Guwahati (currently NIF NE), for the innovations from north-eastern states and at Jaipur, for the innovations from the northern states. In addition, two GIAN cells have been set up at Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and Tumkur (Karnataka) in South India, to incubate innovations from the southern states. To incubate technologies from J&K, GIAN J&K has been set up at University of Kashmir. GIANs, in a short period of time, have been successful in converting a number of innovations into products and setting up enterprises based on them.

The role GIANs is to provide innovations with, linkages to modern science and technology, design institutions, funding organizations and market research. The objective is to generate new models of sustainable development through poverty alleviation, rural development, employment generation and conservation of natural resources without impairing the ecological balance.

NIF's experience has been that most of innovations are either idea, proof of concept, first-generation prototype or rarely a ready-to-market stage. This explains the enormous challenge in facilitating their graduation from an innovation to a product.

The support provided by NIF and its affiliates are for technology assessment, validation, prototyping, protecting intellectual property rights, market research, dissemination and   commercialization. In other words, NIF extends end-to-end handholding support to innovators and entrepreneurs from product development to sustainable commercialization.