Soil Mapping Agricultural Research Tech-Transformation through GIS, Innovation Challenge (SMART GIS Innovation Challenge) About IIT Ropar TIF: IIT Ropar – Technology and Innovation Foundation (TIF) is a Section – 8 company founded to support the initiatives of the established Technology Innovation Hub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) at the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar in the framework of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM – ICPS) by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The TIF supports deep tech R&D-driven startups and research community members, in the domain of Agriculture and Water and provides incubation and acceleration support to technology and innovation-based ideas and products towards sustainable agriculture, and the environment, by leveraging IoT, AI, and ICPS. About IIT Tirupathi Navavishkar Innovation Foundation: The Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) on Positioning and Precision Technologies (PPT) aims to facilitate innovation and self-reliance in India by integrating remote sensing, GIS, and GPS. It supports government initiatives like Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. The TIH will cover the entire technology life cycle, emphasizing research, development, translation, and commercialization. It focuses on public-private partnerships to generate revenue through R&D sponsorship, industry linkages, training, standards development, and data bank creation. The TIH addresses various challenges, including precision timing and positioning devices, environmental monitoring, remote sensing, agriculture, natural resource management, and disaster management. About the Event: The Soil Mapping Agriculture Research Tech-Transformation through GIS (SMART GIS) Innovation Challenge is a collaborative initiative between IITTNiF and IIT Ropar's TIF to support and nurture deep-tech startups and innovations in the field of GIS and related technologies. This program is designed to empower startups by providing them with essential resources, mentorship, and funding to foster their growth and development. The GIS Program aims to create a thriving ecosystem for GIS innovation, connect startups with industry leaders, and provide essential resources to accelerate the growth of GIS-focused deep tech startups. We invite your support and participation in this exciting journey of fostering innovation and technological advancement in the field of Geographic Information Systems. Investment Opportunity: The program invites potential investors to consider investment opportunities in the showcased startups. Collaboration and joint investment prospects are also welcomed. The program aims to foster innovation and growth in the GIS industry. ​Who should apply: Entrepreneurs & Visionaries: If you're steering a deep-tech startup with inventive solutions in soil mapping, agricultural tech, drone-based mapping, or the direct/indirect use of GIS, this challenge is your spotlight to shine. Let's collaborate and explore mutually beneficial investment avenues to drive the success of these startups and foster innovation in the industry. For the benefits of the deep-tech R&D focus startups, we have put together a corpus of 2Cr INR to support 12 final shortlisted startups, with a Maximum investment cap of 5 Lakh INR per startup as Grant; 25 Lakhs as Debt and Upto 50 Lakhs as equity investment (CCD or OCD), based on various factors including stage, patent, product, revenue, market potential, and team expertise. For any queries, please write to Mukesh Kestwal, Chief Innovation Officer, cio@ihub-awadh.in Dr Radhika Trikha, Chief Operating Officer, coo@ihub-awadh.in AWaDH Team: people@ihub-awadh.in