Samsung's 'Solve For Tomorrow' Programme introduces Two Separate Tracks Catering To Different Age Groups

* Environment Champion’, the winning team of Youth Track to receive INR 50 Lakh grant for incubation whilst ‘Community Champion’, the winning team of School Track to receive INR 25 Lakh grant for prototype advancement

* Collaborative efforts with FITT IIT-Delhi, support from Ministry of Electronics & IT and the United

* Nations in India underline the programme's commitment to fostering innovation and addressing societal challenges with a global perspective

Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, has announced the third edition of its flagship CSR initiative - 'Solve for Tomorrow', in strategic collaboration with the Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, and the United Nations in India. With Solve for Tomorrow, Samsung aims to usher in a culture of innovative thinking and problem solving amongst the country’s youth.

Solve for Tomorrow 2024 was inaugurated by Mr. JB Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Sr. Director and Scientist ‘G’, Ministry of Electronics & IT, and Mr. Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, in the presence of other dignitaries.

The CSR programme recognizes the power of innovative solutions and their ability to transform lives, makes a strong social impact, and strengthens Samsung’s vision of #TogetherforTomorrow #EnablingPeople.

This year, the 'Solve for Tomorrow' programme introduces two distinct tracks – School Track and Youth Track, each dedicated to championing a specific theme and targeted towards different age groups. Both the tracks will run simultaneously, ensuring equal opportunity and a level playing field for all students.

The School Track, is tailored for students aged 14-17, focusing on the theme “community and inclusion”. The track underscores the importance of uplifting underprivileged groups, improving accessibility to health & social inclusion for all through social innovations and hence 'Solving for India'.

The Youth Track on the other hand, targets individuals aged 18-22, with a focus on the theme “environment and sustainability”. The track seeks innovative ideas for reducing carbon footprint, protecting the environment & promoting sustainability and hence 'Solving for the World'.

Mr. JB Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, said, "At Samsung, we strive to inspire and shape the future through innovative ideas and transformative technologies. Our mission revolves around fostering the next generation of innovators and catalysts for social change. Solve for Tomorrow is truly shaping up as a platform for India’s youth to come up with meaningful innovations that can improve the lives of people.

In the first two editions, we have seen this CSR initiative have a positive impact on our next generation, who scaled greater heights, embarking on their social entrepreneurship journey. In its third edition, with the introduction of two separate tracks, we aim to solve simultaneously for India and for the world. More importantly, with this flagship CSR programme, we want to play our part in strengthening the innovation ecosystem in the country.”

Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director and Scientist ‘G’, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said, “Environment and sustainable development are amongst the priority agenda of Government of India.  It is an opportune moment to combine technology with the human capabilities for accelerating economic growth.  Indian youth, having innovative mind and skills, cares deeply for the environment.  Using radical innovations, various global grassroots issues and challenges could be addressed.  Programmes like ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ are a testament to realise the vision of the Government of India, by harnessing the power of youth.”

Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi said, "We are honoured to continue our partnership with Samsung as their key partner in the 'Solve for Tomorrow' programme. This collaboration underscores the commitment to fostering innovation and empowering young minds to drive positive change in the society.”

Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, said, “I am delighted to participate in the third edition of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow programme, an exciting initiative which encourages and promotes youth-led innovation to solve challenges related to the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN system in India works with and supports initiatives by the private sector that promote the ambitions and leadership of young people, like The Solve for Tomorrow programme. With the greatest youth generation in history, ever, India has more young minds bringing their energy & solutions than ever before! This means that Indian solutions will also be global solutions.”

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow at a Glance

Who can participate: 14-17 year-olds in School Track – individually or in teams of up to 5 members can submit their ideas in the “Community & Inclusion” theme and 18-22 year-olds in Youth Track –individually or in teams of up to 5 members can submit their ideas in the “Environment & Sustainability” theme

Application themes:

“Community & Inclusion”, under School Track, caters to empowering underprivileged groups by improving accessibility to health, improving learning methods and access to education, and ensuring social inclusion for all

“Environment & Sustainability”, under Youth Track, will focus on environment protection, reducing carbon footprints and promoting sustainability

What will they get: Hands-on training from various industry experts including Samsung, MeitY, IIT-Delhi, and technical support from United Nations in India. In addition, participants will get exclusive mentoring and coaching to build their ideas into prototype, an opportunity to attend a curated innovation walk with focussed interactions with Samsung leaders, and milestone-based grants for prototype development and enhancement

School Track: Semi-finalists 10 teams will get INR 20,000 grant for prototype development & Samsung Galaxy Tabs. Finalists 5 teams will get INR 1 Lakh Grant each for prototype enhancement & Samsung Galaxy Watches

Youth Track: Semi-finalists 10 teams will get INR 20,000 grant for prototype development & Samsung Galaxy Laptops. Finalists 5 teams will get INR 1 Lakh grant each for prototype enhancement & Samsung Z Flip Smartphones

What do winners get:

School Track: The Winning Team will be declared as the “Community Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a seed grant of INR 25 Lakh for prototype advancement. The Schools of the winning teams will also receive Samsung Products to boost educational offerings, encouraging a problem-solving mindset.

Youth Track: The Winning Team will be declared as the “Environment Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a grant of INR 50 Lakh for incubation at IIT-Delhi. The colleges of the winning teams also receive Samsung products to boost their educational offerings, encouraging social entrepreneurship.

Where can they apply: www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow

From when: Starting April 09, 2024

Till when: 5 PM IST on May 31, 2024

Programme Details

School Track: Solving for India

In the school track, the students are invited to form teams of up to five members and submit their innovative ideas under the 'Community & Innovation' theme. The programme will progress through four stages: application window, regional rounds, innovation walk, and grand finale.

During the application window, participating teams will receive digital certificates of acknowledgment. The first shortlist will comprise of regional shortlists where 50 teams will be selected. In the subsequent regional rounds, these 50 teams will pitch their ideas to a Jury. From here, 10 semi-finalists teams will advance to the innovation walk, where they will attend workshops at Samsung's Research & Development centres and regional headquarters, followed by a National Pitch Event, where these 10 semi-finalists will pitch their ideas to a jury at IIT Delhi. As a reward, each team will receive a grant of INR 20,000 for prototype development and the latest Samsung Galaxy Tablets. Selected from the National Pitch Event, 5 finalist teams will undergo one-on-one training and pitch their solutions to a grand jury, with each team receiving a grant of INR 1 Lakh for prototype enhancement besides the latest Galaxy Watch for all participants. The winning team at the Grand Finale will be declared as the “Community Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a seed grant of INR 25 lakh for prototype advancement and exciting Samsung Galaxy products for their school.

Youth Track: Solving for the World

In the Youth track, the aspirants will form teams of up to five members and submit their innovative ideas under the theme of "Environment & Sustainability”. The first shortlist will comprise of regional shortlists where 50 teams will be selected. In the subsequent regional rounds, these 50 teams will pitch their ideas to a Jury. From here, 10 semi-finalists teams will advance to the innovation walk, where they will attend workshops at Samsung's Research & Development centres and regional headquarters, followed by a National Pitch Event, where these 10 semi-finalists will pitch their ideas to a jury at IIT Delhi. As a reward, each team will receive a grant of INR 20,000 for prototype development and the latest Samsung Galaxy Laptops. Selected from the National Pitch Event, 5 finalist teams will undergo one-on-one training and pitch their solutions to a grand jury, with each team receiving a grant of INR 1 Lakh for prototype enhancement besides the latest Galaxy Z Flip smartphone for all participants. The winning team at the Grand Finale will be declared as the “Environment Champion” of Solve for Tomorrow 2024 and will receive a grant of INR 50 lakh for incubation and exciting Samsung Galaxy products for their college.

The two tracks do not compete against each other and each track will have separate curated training, mentoring and immersive learning opportunities as per the themes and the age groups.

In addition to the main competition, participants will have the opportunity to compete for prestigious accolades such as the 'Social Media Champion Award' and the 'Goodwill Award'. The 'Social Media Champion Award' includes a prize of INR 50000 for social media champions in each track which will be announced at the innovation walk. The 'Goodwill Award' will felicitate the title winner with a prize of INR 1 Lakh for the audience choice idea in each track, which will be announced at the Grand Finale.

To find out more and register for the competition in India, visit www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow. Application entry closes at 5 pm on May 31, 2024.

First launched in the US in 2010, Solve for Tomorrow is currently operational in 63 countries globally and has seen over 2.3 million young people participate worldwide.

Samsung Electronics’ global CSR vision of ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’ is committed to providing education to young people around the world to empower the leaders of tomorrow. Read more stories on Samsung Electronics’ CSR efforts on our CSR webpage http://csr.samsung.com