Start-ups from IISc, IITs tweak their innovations to address Covid crisis

As soon as the Covid-19 pandemic struck, many start-ups incubated at IISc's Society for Innovation and Development began work on repurposing their innovations

Tucked away in a corner of Indian Institute of Science’s (IISc) verdant campus in Bengaluru is the Society for Innovation and Development (SID), an incubator which aims to commercialise innovations with the potential to directly impact society. This year, it has been helping deep-science and tech start-ups fight coronavirus. As soon as the Covid-19 pandemic struck, many start-ups incubated at SID began work on repurposing their innovations — ranging from vaccines and affordable diagnostic kits to tech-enabled hand-held devices — in the battle against the virus.

“The starting point for innovation is always an orbit-shifting challenge, and Covid-19 provided that