Empowering Medical Innovation through Student Start-up and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0)
 
Introduction:
 
The Student Start-up and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0) is a flagship initiative of the Education Department, Government of Gujarat, implemented through the Gujarat Knowledge Society (GKS). The policy is designed to empower the youth of Gujarat to unlock their creative potential through innovation and entrepreneurship, thereby contributing to sustainable development, inclusive growth, and the realization of “Aatmanirbhar Gujarat”.
At P.D.U. Medical College (PDUMC), Rajkot, we are dedicated to translating clinical insights, medical research, and laboratory findings into scalable, real-world healthcare solutions. As a participating grantee institution, we provide a robust pre-incubation ecosystem where medical students can nurture and evolve their research-driven concepts into viable startup enterprises. Our institute offers comprehensive support including mentoring, proposal screening, financial assistance, and intellectual property facilitation to cultivate the next generation of clinical entrepreneurs.
 
Core Objectives:
  • Foster a Culture of Innovation: Cultivate design thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and clinical entrepreneurship among medical students, interns, and researchers.
  • End-to-End Handholding: Provide structured pre-incubation assistance to bridge the gap from early conceptualization (Mind) to commercialization (Market).
  • Address Public Health Challenges: Prioritize and nurture medical innovations targeting persistent state, national, and global healthcare challenges.
  • Financial assistance and mentoring: Provide direct financial assistance and expert mentoring to support student innovators for developing Proof of Concepts (PoC), prototypes, and intellectual property filings (IPR).
Scope of Financial Assistance:

Approved student projects can receive substantial financial grants and technical facilitation through the Student Innovation Fund:

A. Proof-of-Concept (PoC) & Prototype Development

  • Financial Limit: Up to ₹2,50,000 per project to manufacture, test, and validate clinical prototypes.
  • Eligible Costs: Raw materials, software licenses, component procurement, diagnostic kits, and expert external services.
  • Note: SSIP funds are strictly for material and technical execution; no human resource, salary, or stipend costs can be booked under this grant.

B. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Facilitation

Under the mandate, our IPR Cell covers up to 100% of registration and filing expenses as per the following statutory caps:

  • Patents: Up to ₹75,000 for domestic filings and ₹1,50,000 for international applications.
  • Trademarks: Up to ₹12,500 per class.
  • Copyrights: Up to ₹8,000 for literary, software, or artistic work.
  • Industrial Designs: Up to ₹9,000 for product aesthetics and device casings.
  • Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry (SICLDR): Up to ₹15,000.
  • Note: While initial filing and prosecution costs are fully funded, long-term maintenance and renewal fees must be managed by the beneficiary.
Eligibility Criteria:

Any student of P. D. U. Medical College, Rajkot, up to 35 years of age, with an innovative idea is eligible. This includes:

  • Current Students: Active enrolment in UG (MBBS), Internships, PG, Super-specialty, PhD, or vocational medical courses.
  • Alumna / Alumnus: Graduates who have finished their studies from this institute.
  • Institutional Dropouts: Any student who has officially discontinued their academic program at the institute.
How to Apply: Step-by-Step Process:

Step 1: Digital Registration

Submit your initial application using following google forms. A Google-linked email ID is mandatory to facilitate the required document uploads. Ensure the form is submitted by the designated Team Leader in case of collaborative projects:

Link for PoC Support Application: https://forms.gle/7urDu4ALbHv6QTHm9

Link for IPR Support Application: https://forms.gle/P3fgSoSo32DKTGgt8

Step 2: Documentation Checklist

Keep the following standardized materials prepared before launching your application:

  • Project Pitch Deck: Prepare a presentation in PDF or PPT format (maximum allowed size 10 MB) using the institutional templates.
    • To download the guidelines for Project Pitch Presentation, click this link:

                     https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1TUaL8zE83XL1LgYRplbCBPs0vG0NElN

    • To download demo Project Pitch Presentation, click this link:

                     https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1pfJzry4OI8eHA7kmtNXvyNME9wZYE

  • Bill of Materials (BOM): Provide a comprehensive, itemized cost sheet of raw materials and services, accompanied by competitive vendor quotes, market surveys, or online price screenshots. Please compile your detailed cost sheet and supporting comparative price proofs into a single PDF document (maximum allowed size: 10 MB) before uploading.
    • To download format of Bill of Materials, click this link:

                     https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=15TSJb3tHnmYoLu1naV_Qc6KftxmqU43

  • Proof of Association with the institute: A document proving your association with PDUMC in the PDF format with maximum allowed size of 1 MB. Acceptable documents include latest mark sheet, college identity card, certificate issued by the Head of Department / Institution, or any other relevant supporting document.
  • Age Verification: A proof of date of birth for age verification (e.g., birth certificate, passport, or school leaving certificate) in the PDF format with maximum allowed size of 1 MB.
  • Faculty Mentor Details: Full name, designation, department, contact number, and email ID of your supervising institutional mentor.

Step 3: Committee Evaluation

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their idea before the Institutional SSIP Scrutiny Committee, P. D. U. Medical College, Rajkot. The Committee will evaluate proposals based clinical novelty, technical and financial feasibility, potential for public impact, and alignment with SSIP guidelines. The proposal will be approved or rejected based on the recommendation of the Committee.

Step 4: Grant Disbursement

Approved projects will receive funds through a faceless, paperless mechanism via Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT) in a maximum of 2 to 3 progress-linked instalments based on milestones.

Duties of Student Beneficiaries:

Selected innovators are expected to uphold the technical and administrative standards of the program:

  • Commitment to Translation: Make proactive, ethical, and consistent efforts to translate your concept into a validated medical solution or startup entity.
  • Competitive Procurement: Ensure that all equipment, materials, and specialized services required for the development of the PoC/prototype/product/startup are procured transparently through competitive market offers.
  • Progress Tracking: Submit monthly progress reports to SSIP Cell, P. D. U. Medical College, Rajkot and update milestones on the state MIS/COGENT portal. Continued support is subject to satisfactory progress.
  • Adhering to the guidelines: Beneficiaries must adhere to all guidelines and protocols for availing policy benefits.
  • Acknowledgment: Explicitly acknowledge the support of SSIP 2.0 in the success journey of the innovation.
Policy Resources & Guidelines:

For further in-depth details on the operational parameters, refer to the official policy portals:

Detailed SSIP 2.0 Guidelines:
https://www.ssipgujarat.in/datafiles/SSIP_2.0_Education_Department_Gujarat.pdf

Guidelines for IPR Support under SSIP 2.0:
https://www.ssipgujarat.in/datafiles/Guidelines_for_IPR_Support_in_SSIP_2.O.pdf

Official SSIP Portal: https://www.ssipgujarat.in

Contact & Help Desk:
 
Visit us to discuss your ideas:

SSIP Coordinator, SSIP Cell, P.D.U. Medical College, Civil Hospital Campus, Rajkot.

Email: ssippdumcrajkot@gmail.com

SSIP Coordinators:

  • Dr. Pratik Varu, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine
  • Dr. Milan Purohit, Associate Professor, Dept. of Pathology