Accenture Innovation Challenge 2021: Students Use Nanotech, Biotech to Develop Agri Bags

This year, Accenture's innovation challenge for students in India received a record amount of 2,800 submissions from over 10,000 students, with women accounting for 40% of the total.

Accenture is a national-level competition aimed at motivating students in India to use their technological skills and creativity to build creative solutions that add value to society and enterprises.

Preventing Agri Wastage

• The Grand Prize winner was a team from Velammal Engineering College in Chennai. Each of the four members of the team received 1 lakh. 

• According to the team, agricultural products were being thrown away due to weather and rodents. As a result, they combined biotechnology and nanotechnology to create an environment friendly 5-layered bag comprised of corn, rice, starch, glycerol, citric acid, and

• An antimicrobial layer kills harmful bacterias. During transportation, the contents are protected by a tough covering. It is waterproof because of a hydrophobic layer. A lifespan layer extends the shelf life of vegetables and fruits. To produce a rodent repellant layer, they also infused the bags with the fragrances of peppermint, tobacco, neem, and garlic. 

• "We have patented the concept. We're performing research and development to make it production-friendly. Large-scale manufacturing using a cottage industry model is planned," the team says.

Managing Social Media Misuse

• Following a competitive examination procedure, the winners were chosen based on their understanding of new technology and creative thinking abilities. The Innovate for Society award was won by collaborative teams from NMIMS, Mumbai, and Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering, Mumbai. Each team member received 75000.

• They created a machine learning technology that detects illegal transactions and disinformation on social media platforms. The solution aims to detect and respond to abusive remarks and photos, as well as to avoid malpractices such as cyber bullying and the spread of fake news.

"It was thrilling to watch this year's competitors apply innovative and out-of-the-box thinking to the problem statements in a way that brings together the best of human creativity and technology," said Mahesh Zurale, senior managing director and lead of Accenture's Advanced Technology Centers in India.

"It's especially encouraging to see such significant female participation in this year's competition, since we think that diversity of perspectives drives innovation." Through initiatives like the Accenture Innovation Challenge, we aspire to encourage more women to pursue rewarding jobs in STEM."