Sharda University Hosts Internal Smart India Hackathon 2026 with 244 Student Teams

The two-day Internal Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026 was successfully organized at Sharda University on 10–11 September, bringing together 244 student teams across hardware- and software-based themes. The event opened with a Lamp Lighting Ceremony and Saraswati Vandana in the gracious presence of Prof. (Dr.) Sibaram Khara, Vice-Chancellor; Prof. (Dr.) Geetha Ganesan, Dean, SSCSE; Prof. (Dr.) Pallavi Gupta, Dean, SSES; Prof. (Dr.) Sudeep Varshney and Prof. (Dr.) Krishnan Batri, Associate Deans; Prof. (Dr.) Bhuvnesh Kumar, Dean, Research & Development; and Dr. Mohit Sahni, Institutional Advisor and Associate Dean Research. Prof. (Dr.) Sibaram Khara addressed the participants with a short and inspiring speech on entrepreneurship, urging them to transform their innovative ideas into meaningful solutions and entrepreneurial opportunities, while Prof. (Dr.) Geetha Ganesan welcomed the participants and encouraged them to actively showcase their creativity, innovation, and problem-solving abilities throughout the hackathon.
Participation spanned six major themes — Smart Automation, Disaster Management, MedTech/BioTech/HealthTech, Agriculture & Rural Development, Blockchain & Cybersecurity, and Space Technology — with software-based projects making up around 75% of entries. On Day 1, 100 teams were shortlisted by a panel of over 150 judges across 33 judging panels. On Day 2, the shortlisted teams were evaluated across two slots (10:30 AM–3:30 PM) by 5 judging panels per slot, resulting in the final selection of 23 hardware-based teams, 22 software-based teams, and 5 backup teams — 50 teams in all — to represent Sharda University at the national-level SIH 2026. The top-performing hardware teams were ZEIT v.1.0, EcoPlast Pioneers, and ZEIT v.2.0, while the top software teams were Agentic Lab, BlueHorizon, and TITANS.
The success of SIH 2026 reflects the dedicated efforts of the University leadership, a faculty organizing team of 40 members, 50 student leads and volunteers, and over 150 judges who guided and supported the two-day event. Sincere gratitude is extended to all mentors, coordinators, and contributors — including Dr. Jayant Shekhar and Dr. Rajneesh Kumar Singh (Co-Conveners), Mr. Ashish Kumar (SIH-SPOC), Dr. Sandeep Kumar (Internal Coordinator), and the wider organizing team — whose collective commitment transformed SIH 2026 into a vibrant platform for innovation, teamwork, and experiential learning, with all 50 selected teams now set to advance to the national-level Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026.