The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector has been recognised as the engine of economic growth. Many countries all over the world have established a SME Development Agency as the nodal agency to coordinate and oversee all government interventions with respect to the development of this sector.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are a vital part of the Indian economy. They contribute to over 45% of industrial production and around 40% of the total exports. There are about 13 million MSMEs in India, which employ about 31 million people. Thus MSMEs are the single largest contributor in terms of employment generation, besides production and export revenues in the manufacturing sector. Presence of MSMEs is seen in the value chain of almost all major industry sectors like automotive industry, garments and textile industry, leather industry and drug and pharmaceutical industry etc.
Role of Design in Improving Competitiveness:
Design is an approach, process and methodology. Design is intended, purposeful, contextual, which is aimed to create advantage, distinct and futuristic outcome to the existing scenario. Design being systemic and holistic in nature, helps in generating more creative, impactful and sustainable solutions.
Design intervention in business is to create value addition to existing products and services. Through design process , MSMEs can add value to products, services, and in the process to their firms.
Design, innovation and growth are closely linked. Innovation and design are not simply about new products or technology. They are also about how to improve/diversify products for everyday use, leading to reduced costs, increased utility and acceptability resulting in new business opportunities. Design is recognized as an innovative discipline that can help MSMEs to sustain and grow in competitive market.
Design Clinic Scheme for Design Expertise to MSMEs, a unique and ambitious design intervention scheme for the country’s micro, small and medium scale enterprises, is a n initiative of Ministry of MSME, Government of India launched under National Manufacturing Competitiveness programme. The main objective of the Design Clinic Scheme is to bring MSME sector and design expertise to a common platform and to provide expert advice and solutions on real time design problems, resulting in continuous improvement and value addition for existing products and services. This model brings exposure to design thinking and process to the door steps of industry clusters for design awareness, improvement, evaluation, analysis and design related intervention and application.
Design clinic scheme will assist industrial clusters to open a channel for design information inflow for creative, innovative and futuristic approach towards products, processes, operations, manufacturing and business design. The scheme will help generate insight for opportunity identification and design intervention for competitive and breakthrough solutions for MSMEs.
The objective of Design Clinic scheme is to enhance industry competitiveness and productivity with the help of design intervention and application at various functional levels. Design Clinic Scheme is structured to provide design related help through design awareness seminar, design awareness programme and design projects to give design inputs to products and services of MSMEs to enhance competitiveness.The scheme provides help through financial assistance at different stages for better implementation of scheme and design awareness.
National Institute of Design(NID), Ahmedabad assists the Ministry of MSME, Government of India, as Nodal Agency for implementation of the scheme.
For easy percolation of design thinking and philosophy and maximum benefit for MSME units implementation of the Design Clinic Scheme is spread into following 3 broader areas. These areas help in Smooth transition of design intervention to MSME industrial and business clusters.
Budget for the scheme:
The budget outlay of the Scheme is Rs. 73.58 crores, out of which Rs. 49.08 crores will be assistance from Government of India for various stages of implementation of the Scheme and the balance amount to be contributed by the beneficiary MSMEs. The scheme provides immense opportunity to a large number of sectors of MSME (Associations and Units) as well as Indian design fraternity -the design consulting firms, independent design practitioners , various design Institutes of the country and also the design students to assist in the country’s vast MSME sectors move up the value chain through value addition and competitiveness of their products and services.
The scheme targets to reach out to about 200 MSME clusters over the next two and half years. This will be achieved through nearly 200 design sensitization seminars, 200 Design Clinic Workshops and 400 design projects including 100 student design projects (final year thesis projects).
Design Awareness Seminar:
The fund allotted for design awareness seminar will be up to Rs 60,000/- for one seminar on reimbursement basis.
Design Awareness Programme:
The fund allotted to each design awareness programme is up to Rs. 4,00,000/- out of which 25% (up to Rs. 1,00,000) will be contributed by organizing association through collection or member’s fund.
Design Project:
Registration Procedure for MSME Association/Groups:
Registration for Design clinic scheme is open for MSMEs spread across the country as beneficiary of the scheme and design firms and independent consultants, design institutions and design students as service provider for design inputs at various levels. The registration is through online submission or postal delivery of duly filled forms along with required documents attached. The registration forms are available online and can be downloaded for respective registration. The registration process is kept free of cost for all participants (MSME association / units and Design Consultants / Firms / Institutions / Students).
MSME association can register for design clinic Scheme by filling up the form attached with the information material. The MSME association must represent at least 20 units in the cluster for Design Clinic Scheme.
Approved to conduct design awareness Seminar in their respective areas with assistance and guidelines provided by Design clinic regional centres, will be contacted to Association after their registration.
Contact for Registration and Information.
Regional Centre (South Zone) ,# B 112, Rajajinagar Industrial Estate,
Bangaluru 560 044 - Phone 080 2340 8219,Fax. 080-23373086
For details please contact ddcdp@editin.in Contact Number 9840991716
Final Guidelines-Design-revised approved MoF 2016