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STPI IoT Lab is spread over an area of 4,200 sq ft, and aims at supporting and nurturing around 500 start-ups over a period of 5 years
Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in association with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India and Arrow Electronics has setup “Center of Excellence – STPI IoT OpenLab” at Bengaluru. The first batch of IoT startups are on board and the lab is fully ready to go live on 21 September 2020. STPI IoT Open Lab will bring in transformative changes in innovation, product development & IPR creation in IoT domain by nurturing promising tech startups while providing a compelling collaborative platform.

Dr. Omkar Rai, director general, STPI, in his keynote address said: “STPI IoT Open Lab is a national lab and the startups associated with the STPI programs can access to this lab effectively. Startups can access the STPI IoT Open Lab from all across the country and leverage the potential of mentor pool. With an extensive global technology supply chain network, we are well-positioned to provide best-in-class engineering resources, technological expertise, and supply chain capabilities to local innovators and engineers as they create, make, and manage forward-thinking products.”

Sanjeev Keskar, MD, Arrow Electronics and chief mentor STPI IoT OpenLab said: “It’s a very happy moment for all of us that what we dreamt two years back has finally become a reality. IoT will play a significant role in electronics and semiconductor space in the coming times.”

IoT OpenLab will enable innovative star-ups to develop disruptive IoT based applications, products & solutions in various business verticals like Defence, Aeronautics, Industrial, Agriculture, Health, Automotive and Education, etc. Interested startups can register online at http://www.iotopenlab.stpi.in/

“With all the incubation and lab facilities, mentoring and funding support, startups can transform their entrepreneurial vision we are planning to nurture 500 startups in a period of 5 years. This CoE has been getting an overwhelming response and we have now 16 startups to be incubated in the first cohort,” highlighted Shailendra Kumar Tyagi, director, STPI Bengaluru.

The IoT Openlab is being supported by IESA & TiE (Industry Association Partners) to provide network opportunities to startups, PES Institute of Technology and RV College of Engineering (Academic Partners) to provide academic expertise & mentoring to the startups and Cyber Media & Forum Synergy (VC/Angel Partners) to provide funding access & opportunities to the startups. The industry partnership covers ONsemi, Kyocera, NXP, Analog devices, ST Micro, Infineon, Silicon Labs, Microchip, Littelfuse, KEMET.

“TiE-Bengaluru & IESA are collaboratively working to build an IoT ecosystem. We have seen massive growth in last 5 years, with 100 enterprise-level companies and over thousands of startups,” underlined Ravi Gururaj, president, TiE-Bangalore.

NEW DELHI: State-owned Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) expects to have the largest ecosystem of incubating new technologies in the country by setting up 21 centres of excellence, a top official of the organisation said on Friday.

During an online seminar organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce on the usage of blockchain technology in the agriculture sector, STPI Director General Omkar Rai said the organisation has planned 21 centres of excellence (CoEs) to incubate new technologies in various sectors, and 12 of these centres are already operational.

"We have centres of excellence in autonomous connected electric vehicles, IoT (internet of things), augmented and virtual realities, animation and gaming, meditech, blockchain, etc," Rai said.

He added that a total of 21 CoEs have already been planned and "STPI is going to have the country's largest incubation ecosystem in technology in a year".

Rai said STPI is collaborating with industry, academia and all stakeholders to develop new technologies in various verticals.

"Out of 21, we have already launched 12 CoEs. Three centres are dedicated to agriculture. We have launched one in Guwahati and another in Gurugram in the name of Apiary. We will launch another centre anytime soon in Patna," Rai said.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing jointly contribute around 17 per cent to India's gross domestic product, and about half of the country's population is dependent on the sector for their livelihood.

Rai said India is the second-largest producer of farm products in the world and still needs to grow up in the value chain.

He also said there is a need to adopt modern technologies to enhance production in agriculture as well as focus on branding to build trust and reap high benefits.

"We have to enhance our branding based on trust, transparency and traceability. While keeping all other aspects constant, we have a variable which is branding. Everyone is fond of organic but how do we build trust. Blockchain is one technology that can create trust around the origin and quality of the products," Rai said.

He added that agriculture is a sector that is not much explored in terms of usage of modern technologies.

"There are a lot of opportunities where one can create products, solutions and technology," Rai.
 

Director General of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Omkar Rai on Monday said the Indian IT industry has been doing very well during the pandemic and the sector will witness significant advancements in the times to come.

The IT industry has done great in such difficult times due to its strong foundations and adaptability to change, Rai said while addressing the virtual e-Naga Summit 2020 organised by the Information Technology and Communication department of the state government.

Mentioning that India has done great in terms of IT Hubs, he said, “Nagaland’s aspiration to become the IT Hub of Southeast Asia is absolutely genuine and is commensurate with the ambition of the nation and SPTI.” The STPI director general appreciated the state government's initiative in allotting space to start a STPI Centre here and a Network Centric Centre with well built incubator.

He also expressed hope that the deliberations of the e-Naga summit would lay the foundation for future policy planning not only for the region but for the entire country.

Rai said, SPTI wants to ensure that the country capitalises on emerging technologies and its applications in various sectors of knowledge and economy while also creating an environment conducive for IT market.

In his address, Nagaland Advisor for IT, Communication, Science and Technology Mmhonlumo Kikon asserted that the Nagaland government is very determined and committed to fulfil the vision of making the state the next IT Hub of Southeast Asia.

Principal secretary, Information Technology and Communication KD Vizo, in his introductory note said, “We are aware that new technologies are emerging at a very fast pace and there is a need to balance ourselves so that while we adopt technology for promoting efficiency, accountability and transparency there is also a need to preserve and protect the core human values.” The event organised virtually saw experts from Europe, Southeast Asia and the country speaking on a range of topics from Software Technology, e-governance, cyber security, consultancy among others.

The STPI IT Export Award was presented at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 to the IT companies in different categories based on their performance and contribution to the industry.

The STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) IT Export awards were announced on Thursday at the 23rd edition of Karnataka's flagship annual technology event Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 (BTS2020).

The award — which has been conferred since the inception of the tech summit — is presented to the IT companies in different categories based on their performance and contribution to the industry.

Present during the ceremony was Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan — Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and Minister for IT, BT — who said the awards will contribute towards the government's vision of "making India a software product nation."

Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Vision Group on Information Technology, Government of Karnataka, said, "IT companies are also evolving to adopt digital technologies faster, which demonstrates the resilience of the Indian IT industry.”

Officials from STPI, state government, and academia judged the participants based on three primary categories — export, employment, and women empowerment.

The ceremony also saw other distinguished dignitaries, including Dr Omkar Rai, DG, STPI, Government of India, and Meena Nagaraj C.N, IAS, Director, Department of Electronics, IT & BT, and Managing Director, KITS, Government of Karnataka.

Here are the winners for various categories: High Growth in IT/ITES Exports (Exports greater than Rs 5 crore and up to Rs 100 crore) - Cerium Systems Pvt. Ltd. High Growth in IT/ITES Exports (Exports greater than Rs 100 crore and up to Rs 1000 crore) - Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. High Growth in IT/ITES Exports (Exports greater than Rs 1000 crore and up to Rs 2000 crore) - WM Global Technology Services India Pvt. Ltd.

Highest New Jobs Creator (ITES) - WM Global Technology Services India Pvt. Ltd. Best/Top Performer (Mysuru Region) - L&T Technology Services Ltd. Best/Top Performer (Mangaluru Region) - KarMic Design Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exporter in Electronic Hardware (Tier II and III region) - Cyient DLM Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exporter in Electronic Hardware (Bengaluru) - Incap Contract Manufacturing Services Pvt. Ltd. Highest New Jobs Creator (IT) - Standard Chartered Global Business Services Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exports per Employee (IT) - Texas Instruments (India) Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exports per Employee (ITES) - Altiostar Networks India Pvt. Ltd. High Growth in Women Employment (IT) - Manipal Dot Net Pvt. Ltd., and Standard Chartered Global Business Services Pvt. Ltd. High Growth in Women Employment (ITES) - FNF India Pvt. Ltd. IT Pride of Karnataka (Exports greater than Rs 2000 crore and up to Rs 10000 crore) 

Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Dell International Services India Pvt. Ltd EIT Services India Pvt. Ltd. Goldman Sachs Services Pvt. Ltd. IBM India Pvt. Ltd. Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd. JP Morgan Services India Pvt. Ltd. Mindtree Ltd. Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Samsung R&D Institute India- Bangalore Pvt. Ltd SAP Labs India Pvt. Ltd. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. Tech Mahindra Ltd.  VMware Software India Pvt. Ltd IT Ratna of Karnataka (Exports greater than Rs 10000 crore) - Infosys Ltd.

The STPI in partnership with MeitY finalises 23 blockchain startups under ‘Idea Challenge Program’ for its first cohort

The selected startups include WhatsLoan, RealX and others

Origo Commodities is leveraging blockchain technology to bring securitised agri commodity to India’s capital markets via TradeFi, backed by physical commodities at the warehouse

The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), under its Apiary initiative has selected 23 blockchain startups under ‘Idea Challenge Program,’ for the first cohort, a person close to the advisory committee told Inc42. 

The Apiary initiative is a centre of excellence (CoE) in blockchain technology at the STPI backed by MeitY and Government Blockchain Association (GBA). The selected startups include WhatsLoan, RealX and others. 

STPI told us it is yet to officially announce the results. However, according to its website, it had received close to over 110 applications for the programme and 44 startups were shortlisted to pitch their blockchain solutions across various categories, including agritech (18), e-governance (14), finance (15), healthcare (16), pharmaceuticals (3), supply chain (26) and others (18). 

For instance, blockchain-enabled real estate startup RealX which was selected as part of the first cohort enables customers to buy, sell and gain from fractional ownership in properties, where all property deals, after due diligence, are presented online for expression of interest. 

Once the property reaches its sale price, the property goes offline and the sale is executed at the registrar. Post-registration, the same set of records is created on the blockchain-based registry system called PropChain.   

Similarly, blockchain-based fintech startup WhatsLoan also part of the cohort offers unique digital financial identity to customers, where it helps them open a bank account, to save money, invest in mutual funds and securities, purchase life, general insurance and other financial instruments across BFSI providers in India. 

Previously, during the launch of the programme, the director-general of STPI Omkar Rai said the programme will help startups gain access to mentors, capital, market and infrastructure to focus on developing innovative products and solutions leveraging blockchain technology. At the time, STPI had also said that it plans to incubate close to 100+ startups by 2025. 
 

NEW DELHI: The value of software exports by units registered under STPI is estimated to have touched Rs 2.49 lakh crore in April-September, and numbers for the full fiscal year are expected to be almost similar to previous year's, despite COVID-19 related challenges, a top official said. The exports clocked by STPI-registered units stood at Rs 4,47,750 crore in 2019-20, about 6 per cent higher than the previous year. The exports stood at Rs 4,21,103 crore during 2018-19.

According to latest data by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), exports by these units are estimated at Rs 1.21 lakh crore in September quarter of the current fiscal year, and Rs 1.27 lakh crore in preceding June quarter.

"The data that is coming in, is encouraging. Exports continued during lockdown, as we took immediate steps to facilitate work-from-home and remote working. Trends in data show that exports for full year 2020-21 will be able to reach near-similar levels as last fiscal," STPI Director General Omkar Rai said.

STPI is an autonomous society set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 1991, with the objective of encouraging, promoting and boosting the software exports from India.

By implementing Software Technology Park (STP) and Electronic Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) schemes, STPI focuses on building an enabling ecosystem to provide single window clearance services, reliable internet connectivity, incubation facilities and other infrastructure services to encourage software exports from the country.

STPI aims to foster a conducive environment for startups, backed by projects and initiatives such as establishment of Centres of Excellence in emerging technologies and execution of Next Generation Incubation Scheme.

On business outlook for the fiscal, Rai said some impact was seen in small and medium enterprises serving tourism and hospitality -- sectors that were hit by the pandemic. However, this is likely to be offset by revival in other industries.

"Exports growth is expected to continue in Banking Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Hi-tech, manufacturing sectors. We don't anticipate much impact on software exports per se....Some sectors have taken a hit, but sectors like BFSI have seen return of growth due to enormous adoption of digital technologies," he said.

Moreover, demand is flowing in for data analytics, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for creating world-class software products, he added.

Indian tech companies continued to deliver service through the lockdown period, he said.

STPI's offices continued to function during the lockdown period and online facilities were made available to ensure IT units do not face difficulties, he added.

Move to benefit small firms across cities
The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is investing up to ₹400 crore in setting up office and connectivity infrastructure across several cities, offering small technology firms a ‘plug-and-play’ facility.

“This is a first for us in places such as Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Deoghar, Koraput, Kohima, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, while we are expanding existing infrastructure in places such as Bengaluru,” said Omkar Rai, Director-General, STPI.

“Each of these locations would host seats covering 10,000-40,000 sq.ft. of IT grade infrastructure,” he added.

Other cities in which work on incubation infrastructure was either completed or was in progress included Mohali, Srinagar, Prayagraj, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, Agartala, Jaipur, Ranchi, Kolkata and Nagpur, Dr. Rai said.

Separately, the government arm is also offering grants and incubation opportunities to start-ups as part of its Next Gen Incubation Scheme.

In collaboration with the private sector, the agency is also aiming to raise funds to the tune of ₹120 crore for the scheme.

He added that exports via STPI rose from ₹3.75 lakh crore (and 3,924 exporting units) in 2017-18 to ₹4.47 lakh crore (and 4,433 units) in 2019-20.

Lucknow: The India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS) from the Government of India has been instrumental in setting up BPO/ITES operations in several small cities across the country and thus creating employment opportunities for local youths. Under the aegis of IBPS, Dataman Computer Systems Pvt Ltd has expanded their operations to Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The initiative has transformed the lives of a number of local youths employed in the centre, where a good share of employees are women..

Dataman Computer Systems Pvt. Ltd. was allotted 100 seats at Unnao under IBPS, and they started operations here in 2018. The IBPS scheme was notified by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) under the Digital India Programme. Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is the executing agency of the scheme.

The BPO/ITES centre at Unnao, Uttar Pradesh is one among 4 centres of Dataman Computer Systems Pvt Ltd across the country. The company provides a bouquet of services in the field of web applications and website design. The company is now planning to hire 300 employees across India by 2022.

Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India, said: “I would like to congratulate Dataman Computer Systems Pvt Ltd for establishment of their BPO/ITES unit at Unnao under IBPS. As per the mandate of IBPS, this centre has created employment opportunities for the youths of the region. I hope that this initiative will have a multiplier effect in the regional economy in times to come and will also motivate other entrepreneurs of nearby area to venture into the sector ”

Kamlesh Jain, Managing Director, Dataman Computer Systems Pvt. Ltd., said: “We are thankful to STPI for this initiative. Unnao is a fast-growing industrial town. Its accessibility to Kanpur and Lucknow via excellent road connectivity made us choose it as one of our centres. Relative affordability and low attrition rate are also attractive propositions here. We are also planning to expand our workforce in next year with additional 300 employees by 2022.”

The objective of the scheme is to usher an IT ecosystem in Tier 2 and 3 cities through the establishment of 48,300 seats in respect of BPO/ITeS operations across the country. The scheme provides financial assistance of up to 50% of the total admissible expenditure (Capital / Operational), with an upper ceiling of Rs. 1 lakh per BPO/ITES seat. There are certain special incentives in the scheme to promote employment to women and specially-enabled persons, the participation of local entrepreneurs, setting up operations at non-capital cities, etc.