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Draft:Chintan Vaishnav

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During India's Presidency of the G20, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav chaired the newly-formed Startup20 Engagement Group. Prior to joining the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Dr. Vaishnav was a Senior Lecturer at the Sloan School of Management and the Academic Director of the Tata Centre for Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in Technology, Management, and Policy from MIT's Engineering Systems Division, now known as the Institute for Data Systems and Society (IDSS). Additionally, he has a Bachelor's Degree in Indian Classical Music from Gandharva Mahavidhyalaya.

Dr. Vaishnav's research, teaching, and practical work focus on the intersection of technology, development, and policy. He began his career in pure engineering research and development at Bell Laboratories. More recently, his work has focused on building national and global innovation and startup ecosystems. Throughout his career, he has co-founded both commercial and non-profit organizations and has advised startups, corporations, and governments on addressing complex challenges.

Early Life and education

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Vaishnav was educated in his native language, Gujarati, until he attended RV College of Engineering (now RV University), where he earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Electronics Engineering. He later obtained a Master of Science (MS) degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Colorado State University, followed by an MS in Technology and Policy and a Ph.D. in Engineering Systems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Remarkably, by the age of 16 and while still in his junior year of high school, he completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Indian Classical Music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, India.

Career

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Academic Research and Teaching

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In the early part of his career, Vaishnav’s research focused on aspects of high-speed communications networks[1] [2] [3]. After moving to MIT, his research has focused on aspects of information and communications at the intersection of technology, development, and policy.

Vaishnav’s research has comprised of using a combination of novel and affordable sensing technologies and context-aware platforms to improve information about elements fundamentally important to life such as soil and water quality[4] [5] [6] [7]

Vaishnav teaches a graduate-level course at the MIT. The course integrates principles of design thinking, systems thinking, and entrepreneurship, focusing on their application in resource-constrained environments. Over 200 graduate students from more than 18 disciplines at MIT have benefited from this course, contributing over 200,000 hours of field research in areas such as health, water, agriculture, housing, energy, and the environment. Additionally, Vaishnav has taught courses on System Dynamics, Network Analysis, Science, Technology and Public Policy, and Internet and Telecom Policy. In his current role, he serves on over twenty boards, including those of non-profits, startups, and government programs.

Policymaking:

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Chair of Startup20-G20

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Dr. Chintan Vaishnav became the first chairperson of the Startup20-G20 engagement group which was launched and adopted during India's presidency of G20 in 2023. The inclusion of this group in G20 transforms its architecture forever in that, whereas there was only a single engagement group, Business 20 (B20), championing concerns of all businesses until 2022; going forward, B20 will continue to focus on the agenda of large corporations and Startup20 will provide an equal platform for startups, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog

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As the Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission, Dr. Vaishnav has overseen the creation of new policies and experiments that push India’s innovation and startup ecosystem to the next level. Since the establishment of AIM in 2016, India has risen on the United Nation’s Global Innovation Index (GII) from a rank of 81 (in 2016) to 40 (in 2022), making India the third largest startup ecosystem in the world.

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has developed a comprehensive infrastructure to foster innovation through several key programs. The Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) have successfully established 10,000 maker spaces in middle and high schools across India, marking a pioneering effort in the country. These labs emphasize the importance of hands-on learning, exposing over 8 million students to design thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship by 2023. This initiative is arguably the largest of its kind globally. At the higher education and industry level, AIM is establishing over 100 Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) to nurture innovations into viable enterprises. Another unique AIM initiative is the LIPI (Language Independent Program for Innovation), a Vernacular Innovation Program aimed at decoupling creative expression from the language of transaction in India's innovation ecosystem. LIPI teaches design thinking and provides ecosystem services in India’s 22 official languages, spoken by over 80% of the population. Complementing these initiatives are the Mentor India Program, which includes over 6,000 mentors guiding innovators, and a partnership program with more than 50 collaborations running targeted programs.

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Dr. Vaishnav believes that the innovation ecosystem is the only institutional platform that promotes systematic risk-taking among the aspiring young population of India, contrasting with other risk-averse institutions. He envisions that, in equilibrium, India could support close to a million startups serving global markets.

As the Chair of Startup20 under the G20 framework, Dr. Vaishnav has emphasized the need for the global economy to develop mechanisms that intentionally leverage the strengths of both small and agile entities, such as startups and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), alongside large and stable corporations. He asserts that this combination has the potential to address some of the world's most challenging issues efficiently.

References

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  1. ^ Abd-Elmalak, Samir A.; Vaishnav, Chintan; Jayasumana, Anura P. (March 2002). "Performance analysis of Robust WDM fast circuit-switched networks with token passing in control channel". International Journal of Communication Systems. 15 (2–3): 239–255. doi:10.1002/dac.530. ISSN 1074-5351. S2CID 3251804.
  2. ^ Vaishnav, Chintan H.; Nieberger, Matt; Jayasumana, Anura P.; Sauer, Jon R. (1996-11-01). "Design and performance of a robust WDM network". Current Developments in Optical Design and Engineering VI. 2863. SPIE: 370–378. Bibcode:1996SPIE.2863..370V. doi:10.1117/12.256243. S2CID 111201272.
  3. ^ El-Bawab, T.S.; Vaishnav, C.; Jayasumana, A.P.; Temkin, H.; Sauer, J.R.; Willebrand, H.A. (1996). "Medium access control protocols for robust wavelength division multiplexed local area networks". Proceedings of ICC/SUPERCOMM '96 - International Conference on Communications. Vol. 2. IEEE. pp. 1099–1106. doi:10.1109/ICC.1996.541380. S2CID 58207628.
  4. ^ Jr, Michael S. Bono; Beasley, Sydney; Hanhauser, Emily; Hart, A. John; Karnik, Rohit; Vaishnav, Chintan (2020-01-24). "Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments". PLOS ONE. 15 (1): e0228140. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1528140B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0228140. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6980542. PMID 31978158.
  5. ^ Hanhauser, Emily; Bono, Michael S.; Vaishnav, Chintan; Hart, A. John; Karnik, Rohit (2020-03-03). "Solid-Phase Extraction, Preservation, Storage, Transport, and Analysis of Trace Contaminants for Water Quality Monitoring of Heavy Metals". Environmental Science & Technology. 54 (5): 2646–2657. Bibcode:2020EnST...54.2646H. doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b04695. ISSN 0013-936X. PMID 32069029. S2CID 211191500.
  6. ^ Jr, Michael S. Bono; Beasley, Sydney; Hanhauser, Emily; Hart, A. John; Karnik, Rohit; Vaishnav, Chintan (2020-01-24). "Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments". PLOS ONE. 15 (1): e0228140. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1528140B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0228140. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6980542. PMID 31978158.
  7. ^ Kodali, Nikita; Sollins, Karen; Vaishnav, Chintan (2019). "Not a Zero-Sum Game: How to Simultaneously Maximize Efficiency and Privacy in Data-driven Urban Governance". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3439313. ISSN 1556-5068. S2CID 213066202.
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