Ideas & Innovation Award
To remember and honour the contributions of Prof. B Jagannath Kamath, a pioneer and a great inventor in the Indian Hand surgery fraternity, who left us in 2024, ISSH joined hands with his family and introduced the Ideas and Innovation Award at the annual conference, ISSHCON 2024 at Bengaluru.
The award aims to recognize and support the individuals or teams who embody the spirit of Prof. JK through pushing the boundaries of what's possible in Hand Surgery with a
"New Idea or Innovation" to advance the field of Indian Hand Surgery.
There were multiple submissions showcasing the innovative minds of the Indian Hand surgeons. The submissions went through rigorous scrutiny by elite judges and three submissions were chosen for the final presentation which turned out to be a fierce competition. The first ISSH- Prof. B Jagannath Kamath- Ideas & Innovation Award was won by Dr. Joseph Thomas, Manipal for his submission titled- Electro-mechanical bionic prosthesis for Trans-radial/ forearm amputees utilizing Redundant Pronation/Supination of the stump.
In continuum, ISSH takes pride to open the prestigious award to the ISSH members as well as all the participants of the combined ISSH-APFSSH-APWA Congress 2025, Mumbai for the current year.
Eligibility & Entry Rules:
- Open to allregistered delegates of the combined ISSH-APFSSH-APWA Congress 2025.
- Please submit your ‘best’ innovation as only one submission is permitted per person.
What can be submitted as an "Ideas & Innovation"?
- A new device/instrument which can make a surgical procedure easier
- A new clinical sign to facilitate clinical diagnosis
- A new diagnostic test
- A new surgical technique
- Any initiative to make the patient’s outcome better
How to Submit:
To apply for this prestigious award, please send an email to secretary@ISSH.org with a summary of 150-250 words (as attachment in docx. format) including the origin of the idea, its purpose, possible value in Hand surgery practice and any support required to take the idea to completion by - 15th July 2025.
Selection Process:
A committee of senior members of ISSH will scrutinize the ideas submitted and score them based on the following Scoring Guidelines-
| S. No. | Criteria | Score (out of 20) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is the idea novel (Innovative) | |
| 2 | Does it address an existing clinical problem in Hand Surgery | |
| 3 | Is it safe and reliable | |
| 4 | Is the idea reproducible (if clinical) or scalable (for a device) | |
| 5 | Will it reduce the cost of care / will it improve patient care | |
| TOTAL SCORE | ------ | |
The SIX top scoring ideas will be selected for live presentation at the ISSH-APFSSH-2025 meeting at Mumbai in a Special session termed- " Prof. B Jagannath Kamath- Ideas & Innovation Award ".
The authors of the selected entry will be intimated by e-mail by 31st July 2025.
The presentation format in the meeting will be a PPT of 7 minutes with 3 minutes for discussion.
Award:
🏅 First Prize- A certificate and a Prize money of One Hundred Thousand Rupees and a Specially Designed Medal.
🏅 Second Prize- A certificate and a Specially Designed Medal.
The award money may preferably be used to bring the idea and innovation into life.
We believe that through this award, we can keep the spirit of Prof. JK alive, encouraging a new generation to carry forward their vision and passion. Your participation or spreading the word about this program would be invaluable in making this tribute as impactful as the work of Prof. JK.