Ericsson Innovation Challenge

• The applicant must be a registered entity, recognised incubatee, research team, or innovator operating in India, and the solution must be deployed, or intended for deployment, in India for the benefit of Indian beneficiaries.
• The solution must fall within one of the Programme’s five focus areas: Rural Technology & Digital Inclusion; Healthcare Access & Diagnostics; Climate & Environmental Sustainability; Agricultural Productivity & Food Security; and Advanced Manufacturing. An applicant may make only one submission per focus area.
• The 5G and connectivity technology must be at a demonstrable stage of readiness (working prototype validated in a relevant environment or beyond); ideas and untested concepts are not eligible.
• The proposed activity must be additive — it must not be part of the applicant’s commercial business in the normal course.
• The applicant must be the party delivering public benefit and must not be the sole or principal beneficiary of the funds.

To protect the integrity and independence of the Programme, the following persons are not eligible to participate, either individually or through any entity in which they hold a controlling or material interest:

• Employees of Ericsson (including Ericsson India and its group companies), and their immediate family members.
• Employees, office-bearers, and staff of TiE Delhi-NCR and of IAN Mentoring and Incubation Services, and their immediate family members.
• Members of the jury or evaluation panels, programme mentors, and any person engaged in the design, administration, or judging of the Programme, and their immediate family members.

Where any such association arises after submission, the applicant must disclose it immediately. Undisclosed ineligibility discovered at any stage will result in disqualification, including forfeiture or recovery of any award already made. Even disclosed ineligibility discovered at a later stage will lead to disqualification.

Selection follows a structured, multi-stage funnel. All applications first pass through pass-or-fail eligibility gates; only applications that clear every gate are scored. Scoring then ranks eligible applications to progressively shortlist the cohort to the final winners. The indicative stages are set out below.

Indicative cohort sizes are subject to confirmation by the Programme. The decision of the jury at each stage is final and binding. The Programme reserves the right to vary stage sizes, timelines, or criteria where required for fair administration.

Applications are judged against published, weighted criteria appropriate to each stage. Early stages weight eligibility and the validity of the public problem; later stages weight the credibility and measurability of impact, scalability, environmental and social sustainability, team capability, financial sustainability beyond the grant, and audit-readiness. The headline criteria are:

• Clarity of the problem and messaging thereof — a specific, recognised societal problem with a clearly affected population, communicated clearly.
• Impact credibility and measurability — an honest baseline, a realistic target, and an independent means of verification.
• Scalability of the public outcome — a credible path from pilot to meaningful reach.
• Environmental and social sustainability (ESG) — the solution creates environmental or social co-benefits, uses resources responsibly, and avoids environmental or social harm. This is assessed for every applicant, not only those in the climate and environment area.
• Sustainability of impact beyond the grant — the benefit persists or self-sustains after Programme funding ends.
• Operational feasibility and team capability — demonstrated ability to deploy in the field.

The detailed stage-wise scoring rubric, including the Final Jury rubric, is maintained by the Programme and applied consistently to all applicants.

• Awards are made to recognise and advance public-benefit outcomes and are not consideration for any commercial service to Ericsson, IAN, or TiE Delhi-NCR.
• Award amounts, categories, and the number of winners are as notified by the Programme. Awards are disbursed by IAN Mentoring and Incubation Services, the implementing agency, and are funded by Ericsson.
• Awards are subject to all applicable taxes and statutory deductions at source. Where required by law, tax will be deducted before disbursement and a deduction certificate issued to the winner.
• Disbursement is conditional on the winner satisfying due-diligence and documentation requirements and providing the bank and account details needed to receive the funds, and will be linked to submission of the implementation plan.

• Applicants retain ownership of all intellectual property in their solutions. Participation grants no transfer or licence of IP to Ericsson, IAN, or TiE Delhi-NCR, save as expressly agreed in writing.
• Applicants confirm that their submission does not infringe any third-party rights and that they are entitled to submit it.
• Applicants grant the Programme a limited right to use their name, logo, and a non-confidential description of the solution for the purpose of promoting the Programme and the showcase, without further payment.

• Applicants should not include third-party confidential information in their submissions.
• Applicants are advised not to disclose patentable or trade-secret information in unprotected form.
• Finalists may be featured through podcasts, social media, media, and the IMC showcase, with no additional payment, and may be required to participate in reasonable promotional activity.
• Winners are required to be available ahead of the IMC showcase to work with Ericsson on preparing their IMC showcase.
• At the IMC, winners are required to present at the IMC booth to showcase their winning 5G solution.
• Winners cannot go to media or any other platform to announce their win prior to the Ericsson announcement of winners at IMC.

The following provisions exist to safeguard the fairness of selection, the proper use of funds, and the interests of all parties.

• Conflict of interest — any juror or mentor with a connection to an applicant’s institution, investor, or sector will recuse from assessing that application. Applicants must disclose any relationship with a juror, mentor, or staff member.
• Accuracy of information — applicants are responsible for the accuracy of all information submitted. Material misrepresentation will result in disqualification and, where an award has been made, recovery of funds.
• Misuse of funds — awards must be used for the stated public-benefit purpose. The Programme may verify use of funds, require reporting, and recover amounts not used as intended.
• Environmental and social responsibility — solutions must not cause environmental or social harm. The Programme may exclude or withdraw support from a solution found to create material adverse environmental or social impact.
• Independence of judging — any attempt to improperly influence the jury or Programme staff will result in immediate disqualification.
• Data protection — personal data is collected and processed solely for administering the Programme and is handled in accordance with applicable law.
• Force majeure — the Programme is not liable for delay or non-performance caused by events beyond its reasonable control, and may reschedule or modify activities accordingly.
• Limitation of liability — to the extent permitted by law, the organisers are not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from participation. Participation is voluntary and at the applicant’s own cost, save for any travel support expressly offered by the Programme.
• Compliance — all selection and award decisions are recorded and auditable.
• Participation in Programme events — shortlisted applicants and finalists are expected to take part in the Programme’s mentoring sessions, pitch rounds, and the showcase, and to make themselves available on the scheduled dates. The Programme will provide reasonable advance notice of dates. Failure to participate or to be available, without good reason, may result in withdrawal from the relevant stage.
• Travel — where applicants are required to attend in person, travel and related arrangements are at the applicant’s own cost, save for any travel support expressly offered by the Programme in writing. The nature and extent of any such support, if offered, will be notified separately and is not guaranteed.
• Size of travelling team — for in-person events, the Programme may limit the number of team members per applicant who may attend, and any travel support offered will be confined to that number. The applicable limit will be notified ahead of each event.

• The organisers may amend these Terms where reasonably necessary; material changes will be notified to applicants.
• These Terms are governed by the laws of India, with the courts at New Delhi having jurisdiction; disputes will first be addressed amicably and, failing resolution, by arbitration in New Delhi.
• If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in effect.