With applications open until November 14, 2026, the initiative offers innovators aged 25–45 across Northeast India an opportunity to develop sustainable products, access financial support and turn promising ideas into viable enterprises.

Northeast India is home to an extraordinary range of natural resources, traditional crafts and indigenous knowledge. From bamboo and cane to eri and muga silk, natural fibres and locally sourced materials, the region offers immense potential for creating innovative products that combine sustainability with commercial value.

The Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge 3.0, an initiative of Bosco Institute, Jorhat, aims to help unlock this potential by encouraging young innovators, artisans and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable, market-ready products that address real-world challenges.

With applications closing on November 14, 2026, the challenge invites individuals and teams from across the Northeast to rethink existing practices, explore new possibilities and transform creative ideas into solutions that generate social, environmental and economic benefits.

Turning Local Resources into New Opportunities

At its core, the Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge seeks to build a thriving and inclusive innovation ecosystem in Northeast India. It encourages participants to use the region's natural resources, traditional knowledge, crafts and cultural heritage to develop products that respond to contemporary needs and market opportunities.

The initiative goes beyond creating new designs. Participants are encouraged to improve existing products or processes, develop entirely new solutions and explore ways to make local resources more valuable through sustainable production and thoughtful design.

From eco-friendly packaging and contemporary craft products to sustainable fashion, furniture, food and wellness products, the challenge provides scope for ideas across a wide range of sectors.

By connecting traditional skills with modern design and enterprise development, the initiative aims to support green economic growth, preserve cultural heritage and create dignified livelihood opportunities, with a particular emphasis on gender equity.

What Can Participants Create?

The challenge welcomes sustainable product and design innovations using a diverse range of natural materials available across the region.

These include bamboo, cane, banana fibre, water hyacinth, coconut coir, cotton, jute, sisal, sital pati, kauna grass, kenaf, hemp, nettle, wool, silk, natural clay, areca leaf sheaths and leaves from plants such as sal and teak. Participants may also explore agricultural and natural-fibre waste as resources for innovative products.

Proposed innovations can fall under several sectors, including:

·         Sustainable fashion and accessories

·         Home décor and lifestyle products

·         Furniture and interior products

·         Sustainable packaging

·         Food and wellness products

·         Eco-friendly utility products

·         Craft combined with contemporary design

·         Agricultural and natural-fibre waste-based products

·         Indigenous products with premium or high-value market potential

The emphasis is on developing solutions that combine sustainability, practical usefulness and commercial viability. Participants are encouraged to consider not only the materials they use but also how their products can be manufactured, marketed and developed into sustainable enterprises.

Who Can Apply?

The Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge 3.0 is open to individuals and teams aged 25 to 45 years.

Individual applicants must be residents of Northeast India. Teams may have a maximum of three members, with at least one member residing in the Northeast.

This provides an opportunity for artisans, designers, entrepreneurs and other innovators to collaborate, combine their skills and develop ideas with the potential to create lasting impact.

Whether improving a traditional craft, finding a new use for an agricultural by-product or developing an environmentally responsible alternative to an existing product, participants are encouraged to bring forward ideas that address real needs and offer practical solutions.

Financial Support and Mentorship for the Top Three Champions

The challenge will culminate in a pitching event, where the top three champions will be selected. The winners will receive financial support to help develop or expand their proposed innovations.

The awards are structured as follows:

·         Champion 1: ₹2,30,000

·         Champion 2: ₹1,80,000

·         Champion 3: ₹1,30,000

Beyond financial assistance, the selected champions will receive mentorship from experienced professionals, entrepreneurs and industry experts. This guidance is intended to help participants refine their innovations, strengthen business strategies and move towards implementation.

The recognition and networking opportunities associated with the challenge may also help promising innovators connect with potential partners and explore avenues for future growth.

For entrepreneurs working to transform an early-stage idea into a viable product or enterprise, this combination of financial support and expert guidance can provide an important opportunity to take their work forward.

Building a Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem in the Northeast

Northeast India has considerable potential to develop enterprises rooted in its natural resources, traditional knowledge and creative industries. However, translating this potential into viable businesses requires more than access to raw materials. It also calls for product development, market understanding, design innovation, mentorship and opportunities to connect with wider markets.

The Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge seeks to bring these elements together by encouraging solutions that respect local knowledge while responding to contemporary consumer needs.

By supporting innovations that make productive use of natural resources and agricultural waste, the initiative can help participants explore alternatives to resource-intensive materials, strengthen local value chains and create new opportunities for artisans and entrepreneurs.

Equally important is the potential to ensure that the economic value generated from local resources benefits the communities and skilled individuals who work with them.

Through its focus on sustainability, inclusion and enterprise development, the challenge provides a platform for ideas that can connect cultural heritage with emerging business opportunities.

Apply Before November 14, 2026

The Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge 3.0 invites eligible individuals and teams from across Northeast India to bring forward ideas that can make a meaningful difference to people, communities and the environment.

With the application deadline set for November 14, 2026, interested innovators should review the eligibility requirements, prepare their product or design proposals and consult the official application guidelines for submission details.

For those looking to transform natural resources into sustainable products, improve traditional practices or build an enterprise around indigenous knowledge, the challenge offers an opportunity to take the next step.

The next promising innovation from Northeast India could begin with a simple local resource and an idea to use it differently. The Wisser & Family Innovation Challenge 3.0 aims to help turn such ideas into solutions with the potential to create lasting impact.

Apply Here: https://wisser.thehubjorhat.in/apply/section-1