Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge – 2.0

Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge – 2.0

The North East Region of India is rich in natural resources and cultural diversity, yet it faces significant challenges in achieving equitable and gender-inclusive rural development. Despite the abundance of indigenous materials such as natural fibres, bamboo, cane, and silk, the region’s economic potential remains underutilized, particularly in the handloom and handicraft sectors, which are traditionally dominated by women artisans.

The core problem is the lack of innovation and market-linked product development that can harness these natural resources for sustainable livelihoods. Existing designs have reached market saturation, and the products currently produced are often decorative rather than utility-based, limiting their commercial viability. Additionally, the traditional skills of local artisans, especially women, are not adequately monetized due to a lack of exposure, design innovation, and market access.

The challenge lies in bridging the gap between the design and innovation ecosystem and the local communities, ensuring that the innovations are not only creative but also practical, scalable, and impactful. There is a need to crowd-source new product designs that can rejuvenate local economies by market-oriented products. This would not only enhance the income of local artisans but also contribute to the region’s overall economic development.

The focus is on such artisans/innovators either working on it or have the thrust to do so. By empowering artisans with innovative design solutions and entrepreneurial opportunities, the project aims to drive gender-inclusive growth in the region.

WISSER & Family innovation challenge is an effort by Bosco Institute, Jorhat as a response to this untapped potential and to generate livelihood for rural artisans through entrepreneurial approach.

Who can apply?

Artisans/entrepreneurs/designers/innovators teams, led by a person from the Northeast region, and having at least one more team member from the region that would design and develop innovative solutions for livelihood-generation.

Age Group: Below 40 years.

Team Composition

Can apply as a team of 3 members or as an individual
Should have at least 1 member in a team or an individual as a resident from the North east region.

Solution Eligibility

The product design/innovation should have the potential to create livelihood opportunity for local artisans and can be scaled into development projects for micro or Nano entrepreneurs from the North East Region.

Prizes for the Challenge

All 3 winners will be awarded fellowships for prototype building of the selected innovations along with prize money each.
Prize money for the winner of the challenge will be awarded INR 2,30,000. The second and third position will be awarded INR 1,80,000 and INR 1,30,000 respectively.
All selections will be done by eminent judges to decide the results.

Scope

To familiarise and educate themselves to understand grassroots realities and build growth-oriented solutions for prosperity
To convert their innovations into impact models creating larger social change

Why this Challenge?

To empower local artisans in North East India by transforming natural waste materials into sustainable, high-value products and enhancing economic opportunities, and preserving traditional crafts.

To use a design challenge to mobilise scalable, naturally waste-based product solutions that are both socially and economically viable.
To empower local artisans/innovators/entrepreneurs through identification and scale-up of indigenous natural waste -based product innovations in North East India
To combine project lessons learnt to create an impact model that is financially, socially, and ecologically balanced and channels innovation towards fair and gender-inclusive rural economic growth.

The Innovation Challenge would use mass media channels (print media, digital media) to invite entries from innovators/rural artisans/entrepreneurs teams led by a person from the north east and having at least one more team member from the region who would propose design innovations for the NE region. We want to invite and encourage young people from the region to participate in the challenge, thus fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among them and inspire them in creative problem solving and looking for alternative solutions to promote local business ideas.

The challenge would identify top 3 innovations that could be further taken up by the innovators for marketing as in furthering the development of proto-type as a full-fledged solution that benefits the local artisans or, to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to local artisans to enable a transformative change in their livelihood generation. Overall, the design challenge is an opportunity for participants to impact by catapulting value-added product design to a high potential, low capital investment sector and transforming the local economy.