Students urged to harness technology for solutions to societal challenges

Published 7 August 2026 · tech

Secretary, Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hanumanthu Purushotham has underscored the role of innovation, research, intellectual property and startups in driving national development. Speaking at the inaugural session of “InnoGenesis Hackathon 5.0”, a 24-hour national-level innovation hackathon organised by the School of Computer Studies at Dr. RVR NRI Institute of Technology (Deemed to be University) on Friday, Mr. Purushotham encouraged students to harness emerging technologies to develop solutions to societal challenges and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

As many as 273 teams comprising 924 students from engineering institutions across Andhra Pradesh and other States participated in the event. Of them, 117 teams (380 participants) were from the host institution, while 156 teams (544 participants) represented other colleges. Addressing the students, Associate General Manager, HCLTech, Vijayawada Srinivasu Nimmu stressed the need for continuous learning and industry preparedness. He urged students to build expertise in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Agentic AI, Cybersecurity and Data Science, while strengthening teamwork, creativity and problem-solving skills to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Vice-Chancellor K.R.S. Sambasiva Rao said universities should foster innovation, research, entrepreneurship and experiential learning, and added that students should focus on developing technology-based solutions to address societal challenges. Pro Vice-Chancellors G. Sambasiva Rao Naga Bhaskar, Registrar B. Raghava Rao, CEO M. Tej Sai, Dean of the School of Computer Studies D. Suneetha Davuluri, faculty members and industry experts were present. The competition featured two tracks—the 24-Hour Innovation Challenge and the Product Development Challenge—covering areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Agentic AI, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Smart Infrastructure, Healthcare Technologies, Sustainability, Smart Energy and Hardware Systems.

Teams will work continuously for 24 hours to develop solutions, which will be evaluated by academicians and industry experts. The hackathon will conclude on August 8, 2026 and 15 teams would be awarded cash prizes worth ₹5 lakh, along with trophies and certificates.