Overview: AI for Sustainable Development
Goals (AI for SDGs): Solve-a-Thon 2026 is a National 24-Hour Hackathon organized by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Science & Technology (SST), Swami Rama Himalayan University (SRHU), Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Scheduled for 27–28 November 2026, Solve-a-Thon is designed to bring together student innovators, programmers, AI/ML enthusiasts, developers, researchers, and multidisciplinary problem-solvers from across India to develop innovative technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The hackathon focuses on the theme “AI for SDGs”, encouraging participants to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Software Development, and other relevant emerging technologies to address challenges in areas such as Healthcare, Education, Climate Action, Agriculture, Smart Cities, Governance, Clean Water, and Open Innovation. Solve-a-Thon is designed as more than a conventional coding competition. It provides participants with an opportunity to identify a meaningful problem, develop an innovative solution, build a functional prototype, receive technical guidance, and demonstrate their work before an expert evaluation panel.
The challenge is simple: Identify a real-world problem. Build an innovative technology-driven solution. Demonstrate how your solution can create meaningful impact. Participants will work in teams to transform their ideas into functional prototypes, applications, models, or demonstrable proofs of concept. The hackathon emphasizes not only coding and technical implementation but also innovation, problem relevance, feasibility, practical applicability, social/environmental impact, scalability, and the team's understanding of the proposed solution.
Hackathon Themes: Participants can develop solutions under any of the following themes:
AI for Healthcare: Develop innovative AI-powered solutions addressing healthcare challenges, patient support, health monitoring, diagnostics, preventive healthcare, accessibility, and related real-world healthcare needs.
AI for Education: Build intelligent solutions that can improve teaching and learning, personalized education, assessment, educational accessibility, student engagement, and other challenges in the education ecosystem.
AI for Climate Action: Use AI and emerging technologies to address climate-related challenges, environmental sustainability, monitoring, resource optimization, climate resilience, and awareness.
AI for Agriculture: Develop technology-driven solutions for smart agriculture, crop monitoring, agricultural decision support, resource optimization, sustainable farming, food security, and other agriculture-related challenges.
Venue
School of Science and Technology, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun
Dehradun, India
AI for Smart Cities: Create intelligent solutions for urban challenges including public services, mobility, infrastructure, resource management, citizen services, safety, sustainability, and other smart-city applications.
AI for Governance: Explore innovative solutions that can improve public services, citizen engagement, administrative processes, accessibility, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.
AI for Clean Water: Develop solutions addressing water quality, conservation, monitoring, contamination, distribution, sustainable water management, and other clean-water challenges.
Open Theme: Have an innovative idea outside the listed themes? The Open Theme provides participants with the flexibility to identify a meaningful real-world problem and develop an innovative technology-based solution. Who Can Participate? The hackathon is open to eligible students participating through their institutions. Participants should have an interest or background in areas such as: Programming Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data Science Software Development Emerging Technologies Participants from multidisciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to form teams, bringing together different technical and domain perspectives to create stronger solutions.
Team Size: Each team must consist of 3 to 5 members. Every team must nominate one Team Leader, who will be responsible for official communication and submission-related activities. Each team may also have one mentor to provide guidance and support during the hackathon. Mentor details are to be submitted to the Organizing Committee during registration.
Hackathon Format: Solve-a-Thon will follow a two-stage process consisting of an initial online screening round followed by the main offline hackathon. Round 1 –
Online Screening: Teams will first complete the prescribed registration process and undergo verification by the Organizing Committee. Registered teams will submit their problem statement in the prescribed HIMOVATION 2026 template within the announced deadline. The submitted problem statements will be evaluated by the designated evaluation panel, and eligible teams will be shortli