About
Before innovations can touch lives, you have to breathe life into them.
If an innovation has the potential to change lives, it must get the best possible chance to do so. Especially when the innovation is aimed at the rural poor. This is the purpose of L-RAMP (the Lemelson Recognition and Mentoring Programme), a Chennai-based, joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and Rural Innovations Network (RIN), Chennai.
L-RAMP was established in 2004 with the support of The Lemelson Foundation, USA (www.lemelson.org), an organization started by American inventor Jerome Lemelson. L-RAMP is the oldest of the three Recognition and Mentoring Programs (RAMPs) supported by The Lemelson Foundation. The other two are in Indonesia and Latin America.
L-RAMP focuses on innovations from Tamil Nadu state and neighbouring areas.
Vision
L-RAMP vision is:
To improve the quality of life of the underserved population through innovations and innovation-led enterprises.
Mission
To achieve the vision, L-RAMP will play the following role:
- Act as a facilitator in providing services required to take an innovation to the market. This journey involves various steps like technology validation, product design, prototyping, market and field tests, intellectual property protection, business modelling, and technology transfer.
- Facilitate the establishment of viable enterprises, which manufacture and market innovations.
- Create a sustainable innovation-incubation facilitation model for replication and adaptation to different locations.
Sectoral Focus
L-RAMP focuses on four sectors where innovations and innovation-based businesses have the potential to create significant impact for underserved consumers. The sectors
- Agriculture
- Water
- Energy
- Dairy
We also focus on the allied health sector
The L-RAMP Model
L-RAMP seeks to promote the establishment of viable, replicable and scalable enterprises based on the innovations. This, we believe, is the most suitable and sustainable way to incubate innovations and help them reach end users.
The demands of this model define our strategies, services, systems, processes and activities. To begin with, the success of L-RAMP’s model depends a great deal on the number of innovations that we spot and the ones that we select for incubation. Hence, we have put in place effective scouting mechanism and rigorous screening processes.
Once we screen and select innovations, a host of services are offered to innovators – funding, mentoring and networking.
Recognition includes awards.
L-RAMP’s model also incorporates support for technology-based product innovations as well as process innovations in services or business models that promise wide ranging impact.
The Organisations Behind L-RAMP
L-RAMP brings together the technological expertise of IIT, Madras and the business incubation expertise of Rural Innovations Network, with the support of The Lemelson Foundation, an American philanthropy that works with a vision to improve lives through invention.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M)
Established in 1959, IIT, Madras is one of India’s foremost institutes in higher education for technology and basic and applied research. In addition to playing a pivotal role in higher learning, IIT, Madras also takes up initiatives which focus on creating solutions that meet the needs of a developing society.
Rural Innovations Network (RIN)
Established in 2001, RIN is a development organization that seeks to improve the quality of rural lives and livelihoods by enabling appropriate and environmentally friendly innovations to reach their potential users. Registered as a section 25 company under the Indian Companies Act, RIN brings a strong business focus to the incubation of grassroots innovations.
The Lemelson Foundation
Established in 1993 by Jerome Lemelson, one of U.S. history's most prolific inventors, the Lemelson Foundation sparks, sustains and celebrates innovation and the inventive spirit. The Foundation works with partners in the U.S. and developing countries to recognize and celebrate accomplished inventors; provide financial and mentoring support to grassroots inventors; offer hands-on opportunities that enable young people to develop their budding scientific curiosity; and disseminate technologies that improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.lemelson.org