Honey Bee Network, a new social movement pioneered open innovation culture much before the term became popular. For the last twenty five years, it has been at vanguard of protecting the knowledge, and resources rights of knowledge rich-economically poor people. It aims at i) cross-pollination of ideas, promoting lateral learning among creative individuals and communities, ii) overcoming anonymity of the grassroots innovators and other knowledge holders, ensuring that whatever is done with their knowledge is shared with them in local language and iv) if any profit or income is generated using their knowledge, a fair and just share should go back to the people. It has been promoting creativity and green grassroots genius in over 75 countries. It has facilitated documentation of over two lakh ideas, innovations and traditional practices besides student projects through volunteers. (Honey bee Network) has incubated a series of institutions to support green grassroots innovators and others. It has given birth to SRISTI, GIAN, NIF and inspired many national and international innovation policies. It is a global platform where like-minded individuals, innovators, farmers, academicians, policy makers, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) come together to respect, recognize and reward grassroots innovations. Various volunteers associated with the network help in scouting innovators, supporting them, mentoring them and provide help in disseminating the innovations as well.
The key areas of engagement are:
a) scouting, spawning, and supporting innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge at grassroots. It links formal and informal science, tries to validate and add value in sustainable innovative technologies, promotes creativity among children, and also pursues learning from grandparents particularly centenarians about viable and green traditional knowledge.
b) promoting innovations and creativity among grassroots farm and non-farm workers, communities and women’s groups engaged with culture, folk art, school and college technical education, institutions (particularly common properties or community managed) for conservation of biodiversity and natural resources.
c) mentoring individual innovators in various sectors and linking them with each other and informal sector innovators.
d) lobbying for policy and institutional changes in support of grassroots creativity and innovations at regional, national and international level
e) supporting knowledge and intellectual property rights of economically poor people, young inventors and encouraging them to share their knowledge with other self-employed people as a part of Technology Commons. The transfer of people’s knowledge to Firms is facilitated on fair and just licensing terms with benefit sharing.
f) Linking innovators with formal R & D institutions, market and communication institutions and networks, media etc., so that more and more people are inspired to find solutions to problems with which our society has been living with, for long, unfortunately.
g) supporting National Innovation Foundation (www.nifindia.org) which is part of Department of science and technology now and helps take HBN goals to much larger level but focuses only on technological innovations at grassroots and among school children. The SRISTI www.sristi.org and GIAN www.gian.org provide institutional support to the Network along with other volunteers.
h) HBN is mainly a voluntary movement supported by large no of volunteers. It has a very strong network in China (CHIN -TUFE President and SRISTI have signed an agreement).
i) Linking technology students with small industry entrepreneurs and informal sector through Techpeida.in and facilitating Gandhian young tech innovation awards by SRISTI
j) Creating world’s largest open access pool of sustainable solutions developed by people without outside help, accessible to communities worldwide
k) Bringing out Honey Bee Newsletter, unique voice of creative and innovative people at grassroots in different languages
l) Motivating commercial organizations and public systems to become more empathetic in providing extremely affordable service and products to common people