TIET-UQ Center of Excellence in Data Science & AI
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala
Presents
Innovation Challenge 2026SabkaAI: AI for Inclusion
Official Pre-Summit Event of the AI Impact Summit 2026
The Innovation Challenge is aligned with the IndiaAI Summit, reflecting the core theme of "Inclusion." This challenge envisions a futuristic path for Inclusive and Culturally Grounded AI, fostering solutions that are innovative, accessible, and impactful.
The "Inclusion" Innovation Challenge embodies the spirit of the IndiaAI Sutras — Empowering People, Accelerating Progress, and Securing the Planet's Future through Responsible and Transformative AI. Join us in creating AI solutions that bridge gaps and empower communities across all regions.
Event Highlights
Participating Institutions
A prestigious collaboration between two world-class institutions, bringing together the best of Indian and Australian academia to foster innovation in AI for social good.
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology
Patiala, Punjab, India
University of Queensland
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Problem Statements
Choose Your Challenge
Select a problem statement that aligns with your passion and expertise. Each track offers unique challenges and opportunities to create meaningful impact.
AI for Financial Literacy to Rural People
Enhance socio-economic development for rural India through AI-powered financial education solutions.
Multilingual and Multimodal Accessibility Tools
Develop tools to bridge language and sensory gaps, making technology accessible to people with diverse abilities.
AI Tutors for Schools
Create intelligent tutoring systems to support education in schools with limited teaching resources.
Bias-Free AI for Recruitment
Develop AI solutions to ensure fair and equitable hiring processes for all candidates.
AI for Energy Saving
Design AI solutions to analyze and optimize building energy consumption patterns.
Open Challenge: AI for Inclusion
Propose innovative AI solutions to promote inclusion and accessibility in any domain.
Timeline
Event Timeline
Select your region to view the specific timeline for your participation
Online Pitching
Selected teams present their solutions online
Results Announcement
Shortlisted teams will be announced for all tracks
AI Horizons: Innovation & Integrity
Workshops conducted by leading AI professionals
AI-xclerate
Panel discussion with AI experts on multiple domains
Innovation Challenge
Final 24-hour hackathon event
Workshops
AI Horizons: Innovation & Integrity
Hands-on sessions exploring responsible, trustworthy, and innovative AI practices.
Workshop 1
Digital Transformation & AI in Public Sector
Richa Marwah
Co-Founder, Bharat Digital; AI Product Manager at the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI. 13+ years in digital systems.
Workshop 2
Ethical AI: The Global Governance Framework
Rahul Bhargava
Founder and Managing Director of R Dot Ventures, Shekunj.com, and OctaHire.com.
Panel Discussion
AI-xclerate: Expert Panel Discussion
Join industry experts as they discuss cutting-edge AI topics and insights in transformative sessions.
Panel 1
Govt Policies & AI Landscape
Panel 2
AI & Career Relevance for Youth
Richa Marwah
Co-Founder, Bharat Digital; Team Lead, Ministry of Rural Development (Govt. of India); 13+ years in public digital systems.
Vinay Pratap Singh
Senior Consultant at Microsoft. Technical Lead with over 14+ years of experience working on Cognitive Services & Azure Cloud.
Saket Kumar
Security Software Engineer at Microsoft with 15+ years of experience, working on Agentic AI and Generative AI
Rewards
Prize Pool
Winners of IndiaAI Impact Hackathon
- • Cash Prize per team
- • Mentorship Program
- • Certificate
- • Industry Recognition
Runner-up Teams
- • Cash Prize per team
- • Mentorship Program
- • Industry Recognition
- • Networking Opportunities
Second Runner-up Teams
- • Cash Prize per team
- • Industry Recognition
- • Networking Opportunities
- • Certificate
Registration
Who Can Participate?
- • Students from any recognized institution from India
- • Students from University of Queensland, Brisbane,Australia
Evaluation Criteria
- • Innovation and creativity
- • Technical implementation
- • Social impact potential
- • Scalability and sustainability
- • Relevance with Problem Statement
Guidelines
Leadership Team
Meet Our Organizers
Our dedicated team of faculty and staff from both institutions working together to make this event a success.
Dr. Inderveer Chana
Center Director
Professor, TIET
Dr. Tim Miller
Center Director
Professor, University of Queensland
.jpg)
Dr. Maninder Singh
Chief Technological Officer, TIET
Dr. Anju Bala
Education and Training Coordinator
Professor and Associate Head, TIET
Dr. Sachin Kansal
Research and Innovation Coordinator
Associate Professor, TIET
Dr. Harpreet Singh
Assistant Professor, TIET
Dr. Amrita Kaur
Assistant Professor, TIET
Dr. Maggi Bansal
Assistant Professor, TIET
Student Team
Student Organizers
Our enthusiastic student team working tirelessly to ensure a smooth and engaging hackathon experience.
Contact & FAQ
Contact Information
⚠️ Important Team Rules
- •No team changes: Teams cannot be reformed or changed once your Devpost registration is submitted
- •One team per student: Each participant can only be part of one team
- •One submission per team: Each team can make only one final submission