Until now, health care related innovation activities in India have been directed at import substitution with significant economic success. However, “green field” innovative healthcare technologies have remained at the conceptual level and a very few have become successful products.  What is missing is the ability of these concepts to mature and meet the design requirements of products that can be successfully employed in resource poor settings to impact large populations. Given the observation that Indians are significant contributors to the development of heath care innovations at the research level, the time is now for India to focus on the creation of an ecosystem that can lead to the translation of these concepts to products and sustainable business entities that can address problems of healthcare access, affordability and reach. India has a unique opportunity to engender the new paradigm, “local solutions with local resources that have global impact”.

The fourth International Knowledge Millennium Conference - IKMC 2009, of IKP Knowledge Park, had deliberated on how entrepreneurs and established business institutions around the world have achieved the transformation of innovative technologies into sustainable products.Focus was also on how we, in India, can bridge the gap that currently exists between conceptualisation and actualisation.

A Business Plan Competition on "Innovative Products for Global Health" for Startup companies (less than 5 years) & for Individuals/Teams working on developing innovative products that can impact the health of large populations was organised as part of IKMC2009. An eminent panel of jury will select two teams for award. The award winning teams will be given an opportunity to present their business cases at IKMC2009. They will receive an equity contribution of Rs 25 lacs and mentoring support for three years. We view the culmination of this competition not as an end but the beginning of a process by which winning teams get access to incubation facilities, seed funding, business mentorship and an introduction to the venture capital ecosystem.

The objective of IKMC2009 - The Moment is Now : Productization to Improve Healthcare Access & Reach, November 9 & 10, 2009 is to facilitate Indian entrepreneurs and scientists who are working with similar aspirations so that we can develop appropriate forums to address their unmet needs and build enough momentum to propel the movement.