Building blocks for a better future: Dr Pramod Varma on Joint Innovation Centre and digital public goods

The digital revolution has undoubtedly transformed our world, but not everyone is reaping its benefits. Millions still lack access to essential services like education and healthcare due to limited resources and infrastructure. However, a new wave of innovation offers hope: digital public goods (DPGs).

DPGs are open-source software, open data, open AI models, open standards, and content that can be used to address critical societal challenges. These digital solutions have the potential to provide equitable access to essential services such as education, healthcare, financial services, and more, especially for underserved and marginalised communities. By leveraging the principles of openness and reusability, DPGs can be rapidly adapted and deployed across different contexts, driving innovation and fostering global cooperation.

The AWS Bharat Innovators Series, powered by AWS, AMD, and YourStory, recently hosted a virtual fireside chat titled "Innovation with purpose: Building digital public goods that empower billions." This insightful webinar featured Dr Pramod Varma, Chief Technology Officer of EkStep Foundation, in conversation with Kanishka Agiwal, Services Lines Leader for India and South Asia at AWS. Their discussion delved into the transformative potential of DPGs and the collaborative efforts to scale these innovations globally.

Agiwal opened the session by highlighting the DPG ecosystem's pioneering work and widespread adoption. "The revolutionary work that the DPG ecosystem is doing, which you pioneered and has now been adopted by several others, is commendable. It's scaling from India to the rest of the world," he said.

Sharing his insights on EkStep's mission and its broader impact, Dr Varma discussed EkStep's foundational work and its evolution. "EkStep Foundation was set up in 2015 as a not-for-profit entity focused on leveraging digital infrastructure to transform school education, especially early childhood learning outcomes in numeracy and literacy," he explained.

He emphasised the success of the Deeksha platform, which has reached 180 million children and six to eight million teachers across multiple languages. "Deeksha became the de-facto school education infrastructure in the country, providing a continuum of learning from the physical to the digital world."

The conversation then shifted to the broader implications of digital public infrastructure (DPI). Dr Varma highlighted the reusability and scalability of digital building blocks, citing the example of Sunbird.

"Can I make that component slightly more generic and reusable so that not only do I serve my purpose, but the next developer or architect who needs the same thing doesn't have to rewrite the code? That's exactly what happened with Sunbird. When COVID-19 hit, we could repurpose these building blocks without rewriting a single line of code."

AWS's role in advancing digital public goods

Agiwal praised the adaptability and global impact of India's DPGs, mentioning the role of AWS in these efforts. "AWS is committed to supporting the DPG ecosystem through advanced cloud solutions that are both scalable and secure," he stated. He elaborated on the significance of their joint initiatives, such as the AI for Bharat project, which aims to democratise Indic language AI.

Dr Varma highlighted the importance of collaboration with AWS in scaling these efforts globally. "With AWS, we are putting these building blocks into large deployments for the rest of the world to use. The design of these building blocks is quite generic, which allows them to be reused in various contexts," he said. This partnership exemplifies how collaborative efforts can drive the global adoption of digital public goods.

The vision for the Joint Innovation Center

Dr Varma then discussed the broader vision for the Joint Innovation Center (JIC) established by EkStep Foundation and AWS. "The JIC aims to dramatically reduce the barriers to the adoption of DPIs globally. Our vision is to see 100+ countries and a billion people gain access to essential services like identity, financial services, healthcare, and education through easily deployable digital solutions," he said.

This initiative seeks to create a scalable, SaaS-like package for DPGs that other countries can readily adopt, ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transformation.

He emphasised the necessity of reducing friction for adoption. "We have enough creativity in creating DPGs, but adoption still faces barriers. That's where the idea of DPIs-as-a-Service comes in, packaging these solutions to be easily consumed by any country," Dr Varma explained. The JIC represents a significant step towards making digital public goods accessible to a broader audience, promoting global digital transformation.

Addressing global challenges through digital public goods

The session concluded with a reflection on the potential of digital public goods to address global challenges.

"Technology can be a great leveller, dramatically reducing the barrier between the haves and the have-nots," Dr Varma remarked. He emphasised the need for a collaborative approach to ensure the widespread adoption of these innovations. "Unless we reduce the friction for adoption, many countries will still struggle with digital transformation decades from now, which would be a terrible thing to do to humanity."

Dr Varma also pointed out the stark contrast between advanced technological discussions and the basic digital needs of many countries. "We have a disconnect between advanced AI talks and basic digital transformation needs. We must ask how we can make these technologies easily adoptable to ensure no country is left behind," he said.

The future of digital public goods

The AWS Bharat Innovators Series webinar highlighted the transformative potential of digital public goods and the collaborative efforts needed to scale these innovations globally. Through initiatives like the JIC, there is hope for a future where digital access and services are available to everyone, empowering billions worldwide.

Dr Varma's vision for the future is clear: "The goal is to see billions of people gaining access to digital services that can improve their lives. It's about social impact and making the world a better place."

The Bharat Innovator Series serves as a platform for founders, innovators, policymakers, and thought leaders to engage in meaningful discussions about technology opportunities. This initiative aims to foster dialogue, address challenges, and explore synergies for the future. The series incorporates webinars, podcasts, and events that spotlight the remarkable work of Indian innovators spanning various domains.

Watch the entire session here: