Education Minister Opens Registration for Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026
Pralhad Joshi launched the Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026 portal at IISc Bengaluru, inviting students across five states and three UTs to submit community-focused solutions.
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the website and registration portal for the Seva First Innovation Challenge (SFIC) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, on September 25. The initiative is jointly organised by the 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.
The challenge invites students and young innovators to identify problems within their communities and develop practical solutions that can be tested and moved towards implementation. It is open to participants from schools, ITIs, polytechnics, colleges and universities across five states and three Union Territories.
Five broad themes will guide the challenge: Clean and Sustainable Bharat; Prosperous Farmers, Prosperous Bharat; Healthy and Inclusive Bharat; Educated and Skilled Bharat; and Secure Bharat.
At the launch event, Joshi interacted with students, young innovators, faculty members, startups and industry representatives. He stressed the importance of connecting 'Seva' with innovation to develop practical solutions for real-world challenges.
The initiative builds on existing efforts to strengthen the country's innovation ecosystem, including more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, over 17,300 Institutions Innovation Councils and programmes such as the Smart India Hackathon.
Joshi called on startups and industry partners to mentor young innovators and help promising ideas move from prototypes to real-world solutions, advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Registration for the challenge will remain open from September 25 to October 24, 2026. The national finale is scheduled to be held in New Delhi in December.