Since August 2018, Dr. Abhay Jere is the Chief Innovation Officer for Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India. Before joining ministry, Dr. Jere worked as Chief Scientist- Life Sciences and R&D Head for Persistent Systems Ltd. He is also the brain and driving force behind annual initiative ‘Smart India Hackathon’ which has now evolved as ‘World’s Biggest Hackathon and largest Open Innovation Model’. His efforts have established Hackathon and Innovation culture in India.