early times report
Dehradun, Nov 24: Today, UPES hosted Udbhav 2025 – the first Emerging Technology-based Hackathon under the Uttarakhand AI Mission (UKAIM), bringing together student innovators from leading universities and institutes across Uttarakhand to solve real-world governance and development challenges using cutting-edge digital technologies. The state-level hackathon was organised by the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of Uttarakhand (GoU), through the Uttarakhand IT Development Agency (ITDA), in collaboration with UPES as host institution.
The Udbhav hackathon ran across two pitching tracks, where student teams presented their ideas to parallel juries of experts from academia, government and industry. Each team gave a short pitch, showcased its prototype and responded to questions on feasibility, scalability and impact. Juries then selected the strongest ideas based on innovation, alignment with UKAIM themes and potential use in Uttarakhand.
The event marked the Level-II stage of the Udbhav hackathon, for which participating institutions first ran internal hackathons under common guidelines issued by ITDA and nominated one winning team—of up to four students and a faculty mentor—to represent them at UPES.
More than 25 institutes, including UPES, IIT Roorkee and IIM Kashipur, Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun, GB Pant Institute of Engineering and Technology (GBPIET), THDC Institute of Hydropower Engineering and Technology (THDC-IHET) Tehri converged for the state-level finale, where shortlisted teams worked on emerging-technology themes such as Generative Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Extended Reality, blockchain, edge and cloud computing, robotics and AI in cybersecurity, presenting solutions for sectors ranging from urban and rural development, tourism, agriculture and horticulture to finance, good governance and environmental sustainability.
The day-long program began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and welcome of dignitaries, including Dr. Jaysankar Variyar, Pro Vice Chancellor, UPES, Sh. Nitesh Kumar Jha, IAS, Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Uttarakhand; Dr Nilesh Bharne, IPS, Inspector General, Government of Uttarakhand; Dr Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor, UPES; Sh. Alok Kumar Pandey, IAS, Director, ITDA; Sh. Amitabh Nag, CEO, Bhashini, Government of India; and Dr Preet from Invest India.
A short film on the Uttarakhand AI Mission introduced the vision of building a state-wide network of AI and emerging-technology innovation cells, followed by an address by Sh. Nitesh Kumar Jha, outlining the Mission’s objectives. Expert sessions set the context for the hackathon. Dr Nilesh Bharne shared use cases on emerging technologies in forensics, while Sh. Amitabh Nag elaborated on Bhashini’s role in India’s multilingual AI ecosystem and investment opportunities linked to the Uttarakhand AI Mission. These interactions helped student teams understand how their prototypes could eventually be scaled into deployable solutions for government and industry.
Emphasising the state’s vision for the Uttarakhand AI Mission, Sh. Nitesh Kumar Jha, IAS, Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Uttarakhand, said: “Udbhav 2025 is an important step in taking innovation to every campus. Through this hackathon, we are seeing practical ideas in areas such as agriculture, tourism, governance and public services, and building a pool of young people who know how to use new technologies for public good. Our hope is that many of these prototypes will turn into real projects that help people across the state, in close partnership with institutions like UPES.”
Speaking at the conclusion of Udbhav 2025, Dr Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor, UPES, said: “Udbhav makes it clear why the youth must be at the heart of the AI conversation. Today, students are not just talking about AI in theory – but are fixing real issues by creating high-impact solutions. As a university, we are glad to stand alongside the Government of Uttarakhand and ITDA in creating this kind of platform, and we remain committed to nurturing a generation of innovators who combine technical excellence with a deep sense of duty towards society.” |
