Pune, September 2013 - Power management company Eaton has announced the launch of Ignited Innovators of India 2013-14. The Ignited Innovators of India (I2I) is a program aimed at providing a platform to students who are keen to become social entrepreneurs and intend to bring in a small but significant change in the world around them. The program for 2013-14 starts on 16th of September, 2013 and Eaton continues its association for the third consecutive year by providing mentorship, funding and networking support to the participants.

I2I has been instituted by the Bhau Institute of Innovation Entrepreneurship & Leadership (BIEL) and College of Engineering Pune (COEP) in association with Eaton. This year the initiative aims to have 1500 participants from 150+ colleges spread across 30 cities of Maharashtra. Two hundred projects will be selected from Technology, Education, Environment, Agriculture, Health and Social Cause categories and two projects from each category will be declared as winners in March 2014. Twelve Eaton employees shall mentor these students whose projects will make to the first list of 200 projects. The mentors will guide and support the students at every stage of their project lifecycle.

Commenting on the program, Nitin Chalke - managing director, India, Eaton said, "We at Eaton believe that leadership is about social responsibility and need based innovation and therefore, I2I is a significant initiative for us to reach out to the young ignited minds. We are delighted to see an increase in participation every year and are encouraged to see I2I emerging as a solid platform for students to ideate, innovate and take responsibility for bringing about a tangible social change for themselves and generations to come. Chalke further added; "We have successfully leveraged our strong partnerships with the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) and the Bhau Institute of Innovation Entrepreneurship & Leadership (BIEL) in providing direction and opportunities to students for three years in a row."

"It gives us immense pleasure to be associated with a successful initiative like I2I. It has given us an opportunity to reiterate our commitment to fostering the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. We are glad to see the inclination that students today have towards innovation and in taking lead to bring in concrete improvements in the world around", said Ashish Kapoor, director - HR, India, Eaton.

Last year over 1000 students from 30 colleges across Maharashtra participated in the program. A total of 211 projects were submitted, of which 85 projects were shortlisted for final evaluation.

Eaton is a power management company providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. A global technology leader, Eaton acquired Cooper Industries plc in November 2012. The 2012 revenue of the combined companies was $21.8 billion on a pro forma basis. Eaton has approximately 102,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.