Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi to Inaugurate 'Sewa Pratham Innovation Challenge' at IISc Bengaluru

Union Education Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi will inaugurate the 'Sewa Pratham Innovation Challenge' (SFIC) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru. The primary objective of this initiative is to inspire young people to identify problems within their communities and develop solutions that can be tested, refined, and implemented.

Five states—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana—along with three Union Territories—Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry—will participate in this competition. Young talents from schools, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), polytechnics, colleges, and universities will be eligible to take part.

The competition is divided into three levels. At the Junior level, students from classes 6 to 12 can develop practical solutions for local problems and ideas related to service and governance. At the Technical level, students from ITIs and polytechnics will work on engineering, construction, electronics, and process solutions. Meanwhile, at the Open level, undergraduate, postgraduate, and research scholars are expected to showcase prototypes or experimental projects and present a roadmap for their implementation.

Five main national themes have been designated for this challenge: Clean and Sustainable India, Prosperous Farmer Prosperous India, Healthy and Inclusive India, Educated and Skilled India, and Secure India.

Registration for the competition will remain open from September 25 to October 24, 2026. The program will conclude with the national finals held in New Delhi from December 10 to 17, 2026. Participants will receive guidance from academia and industry, access to laboratories, fabrication facilities, incubation, early-stage funding, and advice on intellectual property protection. Superior solutions may be implemented through ministries, state governments, local bodies, and public sector undertakings.

This challenge is being jointly organized by the Union Ministry of Education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the University Grants Commission (UGC), with IISc Bengaluru serving as the nodal institute. Through this initiative, the goal is to contribute to the vision of 'Viksit Bharat @ 2047' by fostering a culture of community-based innovation.