Bhubaneswar, Sep 3: Fifty student teams have been shortlisted for the Offline Round of SOA Ideathon 2026 following a highly competitive internal online hackathon organised by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), Deemed to be University, on September 1 and 2.
The shortlisted teams will compete in the Offline Round scheduled to be held on September 5 and will also have the opportunity to represent SOA at the national-level Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026.
SOA Ideathon 2026, organised exclusively for students of the university, was aimed at fostering creativity, innovation and teamwork while encouraging young minds to leverage technology to develop solutions to real-world challenges.
Inspired by the Smart India Hackathon, the Ideathon provided students with a platform to sharpen their problem-solving abilities and contribute innovative ideas with the potential to create a meaningful impact on society. The event also served as SOA's internal selection process for identifying talented student innovators for participation in SIH 2026.
The event received an overwhelming response, surpassing the level of participation recorded in its previous edition. A total of 456 teams registered for SOA Ideathon 2026, working on 90 problem statements formulated at the university level and 61 problem statements selected from among the 231 challenges listed on the Smart India Hackathon portal.
All submissions underwent a rigorous screening and evaluation process based on key parameters, including innovation, relevance, feasibility, prototype readiness, potential impact, scalability and clarity of implementation. Following the screening process, 330 teams were shortlisted for the Online Round.
A total of 1,980 students participated in the event, including 757 female participants, accounting for 38.23 per cent, and 1,223 male participants, accounting for 61.76 per cent.
Elimination rounds were conducted over both days, culminating in the selection of the top 50 teams from among the 330 participating teams. These teams have now been shortlisted for the Offline Round of SOA Ideathon 2026, marking a significant achievement for the university's young innovators.
The event was inaugurated in the presence of Prof. (Dr.) Manoranjan Parhi, Organising Chair and Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for SIH 2026 at SOA; Prof. (Dr.) Pradeep Kumar Sahoo, Dean, ITER, SOA; Dr. Priya Ranjan Meher, Technical Lead and RF and Antenna Engineer at VVDN Technologies, India, as Guest of Honour; and Pankaja Sahu, Assistant Director General (Technology), Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, as Chief Guest.
Prof. (Dr.) Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor, SOA; Prof. Renu Sharma, Additional Dean, Student Affairs, ITER; and Dr. Ashis Kumar Pati, Registration Chair of SOA Ideathon 2026, were also present on the occasion.
The smooth and successful conduct of SOA Ideathon 2026 was ensured under the leadership of Prof. (Dr.) Manoranjan Parhi, SPOC for SIH 2026 at SOA.
Strategic guidance for the event was provided by an Advisory Committee comprising Prof. D.N. Thatoi, Additional Dean, Academics; Prof. Debahuti Mishra, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; and Prof. Ajit Kumar Nayak, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology.
Several faculty members and teams played important roles in the successful organisation of the event. Complete event documentation in accordance with SIH guidelines was undertaken by Dr. Sayantan Guha and his team, while Dr. Sasanka Choudhury, Chief Coordinator, HR, was responsible for promotion and publicity.
Online registration, team management and query resolution were handled by Dr. Ashis Kumar Pati and his team. The screening and evaluation process was coordinated by Dr. Alakananda Tripathy and her team, while judging coordination was managed by Dr. Bharat Jyoti Ranjan Sahu and his team.
Online software and technical support were provided by Dr. Ayes Chinmay and his team, while logistics and hospitality were efficiently managed by Dr. Biswaranjan Swain and his team.
SOA expressed its gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for conceptualising and supporting transformative initiatives such as the Smart India Hackathon, which provide young innovators with opportunities to develop solutions to contemporary challenges and emerge as future changemakers.
The successful organisation of SOA Ideathon 2026 has further reinforced the university's commitment to nation-building through technology, innovation and education. The initiative also reflects SOA's resolve to make meaningful contributions towards the Government of India's long-term national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
