Seva First Innovation Challange Under the Student Start-up and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0), various flagship initiatives have been envisaged through which youth can get adequate opportunities to harness their creative potential.

Over the last 9 years, under the Student Start-up and Innovation Policy, the Education Department organized 6 Hackathons in which 12,392 student teams, consisting of 61,758 students, registered for 1,785 problem statements shared by 613 Departments of the Government of Gujarat, Municipals corporations, government offices, and industries. A total of 4,746 teams participated in the regional rounds, and 1,252 teams advanced to the grand finale of the Hackathons. In the end, 177 teams were declared winners, and a total prize money of ₹90.25 lakh was given to winning teams. The process gave first hand exposure to the students to work on industry and government departments’ problem statements.

The Education Department, Government of Gujarat, through SSIP 2.0, is organizing the “Seva First Innovation Challange” with the objective of mobilizing students and youth innovators to solve real-world operational challenges faced by Government Departments, PSUs, Municipal Corporations, DDO/Collectorate Offices, and Industries. More than 20,000 students are expected to participate across schools, ITIs, polytechnics, and universities. The Challenge promotes market-ready hardware and software solutions leveraging AI/ML, Robotics, Deep Health Technology, Semiconductors, Advanced Manufacturing, IoT, and Cybersecurity. Government bodies and allied offices will have an opportunity to present field-level challenges as formal problem statements, mentor participating teams, and receive verified prototypes for pilot implementation and deployment.

To ensure widespread impact, the Challenge operates across two distinct tracks:

• Vertical 1 (Institutional & Departmental Challenges): Dedicated operational challenges submitted directly by your department, paired with departmental mentors and pre-committed pilot testing venues upon successful demonstration.
• Vertical 2 (Thematic Sectors / Open Track): Grassroots solutions developed under Gujarat's core anchors—including Manufacturing, Semiconductors, Deep Health-Tech under the Gujarat Healthcare Innovation Mission, and Urban/Rural Infrastructure.

Once the challenges are vetted and published on the digital challenge portal, a nationwide and state-wide outreach will be conducted. The shortlisted teams will develop working prototypes, which will be evaluated at the Grand Finale on 2nd December 2026 at Helipad Ground, Gandhinagar. Winning solutions will receive SSIP 2.0 prototyping grants.