The Presidency School of Artificial Intelligence & Advanced Computing (PSAIAC) organised IGNITE2SIH: Pre-SIH Internal Hackathon on 8 August 2026, from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, at F Block Seminar Hall 1 and E Block Old Prayer Hall, Presidency University. The offline event brought together 258 students, who collaborated to address real-world problem statements through innovative, technology-driven solutions. Convened by Dr Abirami A, Associate Professor, PSAIAC, and coordinated by Ms Sterlin Minish, Ms Subhashini R, Mr Shahabzada Betab Badar and Ms Priyanki Dutta, the hackathon provided a platform for students to apply design thinking, artificial intelligence, machine learning, prototyping and entrepreneurial approaches.

The event featured expert interactions with Mr Prabhakaran G, Director, Global Operations, Cognitive Infrastructure Services, L&T Mindtree; Dr Priya R L, Designated Partner, EduWise Triad LLP, Mumbai; Mr Richard Joseph, Educator, VESIT, Mumbai; and Mr Sriram Nagarajan, Founder & CEO, RoboRAM Technologies. Their insights on innovation, problem-solving, technology development and real-world impact helped students refine their ideas and strengthen their presentations. The hackathon also enhanced participants’ problem-solving, teamwork, communication and project-management skills while preparing them for the Smart India Hackathon.

The programme concluded with recognition of the Top 10 teams, with Team Hiero, led by Jaswanth Kumar, emerging as the Winner, followed by Team Achievers, led by Palaniappan RM, as 1st Runner-up, and Team Jan Setu, led by Priyanshu Choudhary, as Runner-up. Team MV Nexus, led by Vyshnavi T N, received the Outstanding Innovation Team recognition. Overall, IGNITE2SIH successfully fostered a culture of innovation, collaboration and technology-driven problem-solving, while providing students with valuable practical exposure beyond the classroom.