NEST, an initiative by Novartis, invites students, start-ups and incubators to reimagine medicine

Indian healthtech space has seen a significant rise in the last few years. Since 2014, over 11,620 startups entered the sector. According to a report by Tracxn, the total funding for Indian healthtech firms stood at $9.9 billion as of July, 2024, significantly higher than $362 million in 2023. However, these funds continue to be substantially lower than Covid-19 levels.

Traditional healthcare institutions, too, are keen on working with these up and coming new-age companies.

In a bid to work closely with Indian medical, healthtech and pharmaceutical startups, students and incubators, Novartis Development Hub in India, recently launched NEST (Nurturing Excellence, Strengthening Talent). This case-based competition offers a space where participants will solve real-world cases by harnessing the power of technology, enabling them to co-create solutions for improved efficiencies in clinical development and clinical trial protocols for innovative medicines. Applications are now open for the programme and students, incubators and startups from various sectors can Register until December 8, 2024.

An opportunity to join the journey of reimagining medicine

The NEST programme aims to tap into the deep potential of healthcare students, professionals and innovators in India. Powered by Novartis’ core strategy of ‘unleashing the power of people’, it offers participants a chance to compete for a prize pool of Rs 8 lakh, attend pre-placement interviews at Novartis, as well as collaborate with expert teams to co-create impactful solutions.

The initiative also looks to build strong corridors among the healthcare industry, academia, and the startup ecosystem, fostering the collaborative exchange of ideas, information, and innovation. NEST bridges innovation and impact, giving the brightest minds in the country the platform to contribute to the future of medicine and patient care.

Eligibility criteria and programme details

• Participants must register in teams of 1-5 members.
• All students, startups, and incubators are eligible to participate in this engagement.
• Cross-organisation teams are allowed.
• Cross-specialisation teams are allowed.
• A participant cannot be a member of more than one team.
• Any deviation from the aforementioned rules will result in immediate disqualification of the entire team.

The program consists of multiple rounds from December 9, 2024, to February 21, 2025.

Round 1 - MCQ Assessment - December 9, 2024

All teams must complete an online multiple-choice quiz on data science, AI and Machine Learning on December 9. All team members must take the test, and the average score of all team members will be taken into consideration during the evaluation.

Round 2 - Screening: December, 11, 2024 - January 3, 2025

Starting on December 11, shortlisted teams will be required to submit a pitch deck clearly outlining their initial thoughts and understanding of the problem, their approach (for instance - ML, neural network, etc.), dependencies/key considerations, the expected cost of implementation, and more.

Round 3 - Semifinals: January 17, 2025

The shortlisted teams must submit their final working solutions in a specified format to ensure consistency and ease of evaluation.

Mentorship by Novartis Team: February 11, 2025 - February 19, 2025

After the semifinal round, the three shortlisted finalist teams per use-case (12 teams in total) will be mentored by a panel of experts to prepare for a final pitch to the Novartis leadership and SME panel.

Round 4: Finals and in-person pitch, February 21, 2025

The 12 finalist teams will be invited to Novartis Hyderabad Campus for the final pitch presentations.

*Detailed instructions on each round can be found on the Unstop website.

Better healthcare outcomes: One treatment at a time

Novartis, a focused innovative medicine company, empowers patients, healthcare professionals, and society through investigative medicine and transformative treatment options. Novartis entered India in 1947, with two legal entities—Novartis Healthcare Private Limited (NHPL) and Novartis India Limited (NIL). The Indian branch of the company includes Pharma International (commercial organisation), Development (R&D organisation), Novartis Corporate Center (Global Capability Center), and Biomedical Research, employing over 8,300 people.

The company’s Developmental Hub in India includes three cutting-edge centres in Hyderabad and Mumbai. Novartis has achieved medical breakthroughs across a range of therapy areas, including cardiovascular, immunology, oncology, neurology and global health).

Are you ready to solve real-world medical problems?