Grassroots Technological Innovation Acquisition Fund

The fund was envisioned to allow NIF to acquire the rights of technologies from the innovators generating public goods, which NIF can then make open source. Some of them can be pooled and blended to form new products, which can then be licensed to small entrepreneurs so that large number of such entrepreneurs can take up the products and take them to localized market. This will promote decentralized production since cost of supply chain market will be huge. Further, in some ideas/innovations, conventional supply chain will be of use and in such cases NIF may involve business groups. Ultimately, technology acquisition fund will prevent people from wait for years for getting their first return out of their unique knowledge.

NIF organised the First Grassroots Technological Innovation Acquisition Fund meeting at NASC Complex, New Delhi on 21st February 2012 in collaboration with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA). In this meeting, 23 farmers from eight states, who had developed over 34 improved varieties of different crops participated. NIF organised the 2nd GTIAF meeting inviting different innovators on 26th March 2012 at IIM, Ahmedabad where the rights of 30 technologies from 24 innovators were acquired.

NIF is now trying to disseminate/diffuse them at low cost or no cost for the larger benefit of the society. In many cases, further research work is also being planned to be undertaken. The innovators, farmers, traditional knowledge holders whose technologies are acquired under GTIAF continue to have the right to use/manufacture or market their technologies but on a non-exclusive basis. Also, in future if the technology gets commercialized, a fair share of benefit will go back to the original knowledge provider.