Hyderabad, Sep 15 (IANS): India's leading technology incubator T-Hub on Tuesday signed a MoU with the Hiroshima Prefectural Government for collaboration in areas of creation of innovation, entrepreneurship and open innovation.

This association will help nurture the startup ecosystem between the state of Telangana and Hiroshima and bring together cultures and ideas from both the innovation ecosystems to transform customer experience and foster digital transformation, T-Hub said.

As the first step of this partnership, T-Hub will lead a virtual innovation programme called 'Road to Shine' (R2S) in partnership with Infobridge India Pvt. Ltd., an Indo-Japanese business development and consultancy firm.

The programme is centered on the theme 'The future city you want to create'. It will empower the next generation leaders to generate new technologies and solutions that address the future challenges of India. Through this programme, T-Hub and the Hiroshima Prefectural Government will collaborate with students and engineers, including the startup ecosystems in Hyderabad.

T-Hub will call for applications from the student innovators and early growth-stage startups with a background in computer science and related engineering fields. The main applicant can participate individually or as a team where he/she can recruit up to two other members not necessarily from a technical background.

All members must be based in the state of Telangana and be under the age of 30 to participate in this programme. The main applicant should be available for all online workshops and events.

T-Hub said the call for applicants commenced from September 8 and will remain active until October 17, 2020. High-potential innovators and startups will be selected based on the quality of technology solutions, ability to expand on self-reflection to bring social and societal perspectives, demonstration of in-depth analysis, product/solution readiness and growth potential.

The shortlisted participants will also present their innovative ideas/solutions to the Hiroshima Prefectural Government. Subject matter experts from T-Hub and the Hiroshima Prefectural Government will work with the innovators to help them refine and transform their ideas into viable business propositions.

"Over the years, Hiroshima has been successful in creating an innovative ecosystem and a brand for itself. With the project 'Road to Shine' (R2S), we are looking at prospective technological innovations with the potential to address the future challenges of society and deliver social impact. The partnership formalised today will provide growth opportunities for the innovation ecosystems of both the geographies. It will enable startups and innovators to explore larger opportunities," said Ravi Narayan, CEO of T-Hub and Chief Innovation Officer of the state of Telangana.

"I am happy to announce this partnership between T-Hub and Hiroshima, a prefecture aiming at becoming a national leader in innovation. I am convinced that our collaboration will be a catalyst for more out-of-the-box and transformative services and products," said Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture.

The startup ecosystem in Hyderabad, Telangana has produced many IT resources for global companies such as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) and created new business avenues.