Invention factory: New India dawning

Invention versus innovation

Here I was on a Friday morning a few weeks ago, sitting with six other judges, in a cosy Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay conference room, waiting for the event to start. The hall was filled with an audience of IIT students and some professors. I was mentally prepared for this: I am often invited by many IITs and IIMS (Indian Institutes of Management) to be in a similar role: Be part of a panel of judges where IIT or IIM students present their research papers or entrepreneurial ideas. I was mentally and emotionally prepared for a few hours of listening to and debating about the wonderful new algorithms that would be presented.

I was told that the day's event was where 10 teams, each consisting of two members, would present a prototype of the products that they have created during their six weeks' stay at IIT Bombay. The organisers emphasised that the focus of all the participants would be "invention", not "innovation".

While they were holding forth on this aspect, I quietly checked on my mobile with my pal, ChatGPT, the difference between the two, and added that I needed a one-sentence answer. My pal instantly obliged: "invention is the process of coming up with something new, while innovation is about taking existing ideas and improving or transforming them for better use." That made things clearer for me.