Azim Premji University marks 10 years of National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge

October 7, 2026 /Posted byPrajwal EW / 0

Azim Premji University will host the 10th edition of the National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge on October 9, marking a decade of bringing together students to develop ideas addressing social and environmental challenges.

Launched in 2016, the National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge is an initiative of the University’s Social Enterprise Cell. It provides college and university students with opportunities to explore social entrepreneurship, develop ideas and present them in a competitive setting, while learning from mentors and connecting with others in the social enterprise sector.

Ten teams have been shortlisted for this year’s final round, with students from institutions including IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, IIM Kashipur, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Shri Ram College of Commerce and Azim Premji University.

The shortlisted teams are working on issues including child safety and digital well-being, rural innovation, waste management, water conservation, accessible healthcare, women’s health and livelihoods, accessibility for persons with disabilities, welfare access for construction workers and sustainable solutions for the fashion industry.

The ideas include CipherGuard, an AI-powered platform aimed at protecting children from online risks; GramGenius, which identifies and mentors young innovators in rural India; GreenPath, a digital platform for rural waste management; JalRakshak, which uses sensors and AI to detect pipeline leaks; and JivaScope, an AI-enabled digital stethoscope designed to help frontline health workers screen for health conditions.

Other shortlisted ideas include Sehat Saheli Network, which trains rural women as health coaches; SuoMoto, an accessibility platform for visually impaired people and persons with disabilities; URAPPU, which helps construction workers access welfare benefits; Stitch Zero, which turns textile waste into material for mannequins; and Youth for Change India, a student-led platform connecting young people with grassroots organisations and communities.

The 10th edition is themed “10 Years. One Platform. Ideas That Matter.” The event will feature presentations by the shortlisted teams, a panel discussion, cultural performances and around 45 enterprise stalls featuring small and medium enterprises and established organisations.

The winning teams will receive grants worth ₹2 lakh.

Event details

Date: October 9, 2026
Time: 9:00 am onwards
Venue: Azim Premji University campus, Bengaluru
Entry: Open to all; registration is mandatory

Also Read: IIT Ropar’s ANNAM.AI launches AVNI to promote agricultural learning among children

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“Most schools never consciously chose their basic unit. They inherited one from the past: the class. With the class as the focus, the things that happen between people get squeezed out: the apprentice learning alongside someone skilled, the child taught where they are rather than where the class is, and the daily practice of getting along with people they did not choose. The most promising new schools are organising themselves around the individual child rather than the class. A better approach is to group children by readiness in each subject and change those groups as they progress. Communication, collaboration and handling disagreement need daily practice. In a school built around individual progress, teachers get time back to observe, diagnose, mentor and step in where they are most needed. Most teachers entered the profession to make a difference to children. Many spend their careers managing classes instead. The best new schools offer them a system that finally lets them do the work they signed up for.”

- Rahul Raghavan, Economic Times, (27/10)

“Government medical college seats are 100% filled, vacancies are confined entirely to the private sector. Colleges and state fee-fixation committees must re-examine these fee structures, because lowering NEET qualifying cut-offs will not resolve an affordability crisis when millions of candidates already qualify. The vacancies are an indicator that qualifying for medical admission does not necessarily mean students could afford a seat. Institutions charge full fees to early applicants and offer discounts to late entrants to fill the vacant seats. It reflects a purely commercial approach that compromises merit while still failing to fill classrooms. High management-quota fees are putting seats beyond the reach of many candidates. Some 24 lakh students write the entrance test for 1.4 lakh seats. While the cream gets government seats, the rest of the students cannot afford a management-quota seat.”

- Divyansh Kumar, The Times of India, (2/11)

Azim Premji University marks 10 years of National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge

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