BEST Innovation Award-2025

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has been promoting creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among its students. In view of the announcement of the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission by the Government of India also as recommended by NEP-2020 to promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship, it becomes more important to identify, recognize and support the innovator and entrepreneur students of IGNOU. In this context, for the last seven years, IGNOU has been awarding its innovator students with the Best Innovation Awards. 

Under this scheme, entries are invited from IGNOU students for the “Best Innovation Award-2025”.

Who is Eligible to Apply for Best Innovation Award?

Any bonafide and registered students of IGNOU who has developed and implemented an innovative product, process or services as a solution to the problem/challenge being faced by individuals or society in any area, preferably from the given theme areas, is eligible to submit application for the 'Best Innovation Award-2025' in the prescribed format.

Why Should You Apply for Best Innovation Award?

1. The selected innovator Students of IGNOU will be recognized nationally.

2. The selected best three Innovators will get Best Innovation Award-2025 with Certificates, Trophies and Cash Prizes of Rs. 10,000/-, Rs, 7,000/- and Rs. 5,000/- respectively.

3. The students selected for the Best Innovation Award-2025 will be invited to IGNOU Headquarters, Delhi to receive the award.

4. The selected potential innovators will get opportunity to interact with other innovators and learn from their experience.

5. The selected other potential innovators, from amongst the applicants of the Best Innovation Award scheme, will be imparted guidance, handholding and mentoring for improving their innovation further and taking it to the next level.

What are the Theme Areas?

Your innovation may be in any of the following areas:

1. Health Care and Biomedical Devices

2. Agriculture and Rural Development

3. Food Processing and Packaging

4. Smart Transport and Traffic Management

5. Renewable and Affordable Energy and Alternate Fuel

6. Clean and Potable Water and Water Management

7. Waste Management and Disposal

8. Technology Based Social Innovations

9. E-commerce and Business Management

10. Robotics and Drones including AI and ML

11. Tour and Travel Management

12. Social and Environmental Issues

13. Smart City and Urban Development

14. Innovation in Education Sector

15. Innovation to Assist the Persons with Disability

16. Any Other Emerging Area of Innovation and Startup Opportunity

How to Apply?

1. Those who are interested in applying for Best Innovation Award-2025 may submit the filled-in Proforma dully typed in MS Word along with the supporting documents through e-mail to ncide@ignou.ac.in.

2. You should enclose a 5-10 Minutes Video Clip on the Development and Working of your Innovation. You may attend it with email or upload on your YouTube Channel and give URL of the same.

3. Also enclose the relevant Photographs pertaining to your Innovation.

4. The Application Form can be downloaded from the NVRIETI Portal at https://sites.google.com/ignou.ac.in/navrieti/bia-2025. You can also access this Portal from the IGNOU Website www.ignou.ac.in by clicking the Link Best Innovation Award-2025 under Announcement and Notifications on Home Page of the IGNOU Website.

To download the Application Form, please Click Here

1. Applications will be received only through email at ncide@ignou.ac.in. No hard copy and handwritten or scanned copy will be entertained.

2. Simple submission of Application for the award will not entitle the candidates for any kind of Certificate or other document from the University.

3. The shortlisted students will be required to give presentation of their innovation, its development process and its working, etc. in Virtual Mode.

4. After declaration of result, the winners will be informed individually as well as through the above mentioned Website. No other communication will be done individually with the other applicants.

5. University's decision will be final and binding regarding the selection of the students for Best Innovation Award-2025.

The last date for submission of complete Application in the prescribed format along with the required Documents, Photographs and Video Clip of the innovation is September 30, 2025.