Bhubaneswar, May 19: A four-member students’ team of Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), faculty of engineering and technology of SOA Deemed to be University here, has won the prestigious ‘Peoples’ Choice Award’ at the TECHgium 2026, the ninth edition of L&T Technology Services (LTTS) flagship open innovation challenge for engineering students across the country the Grand Finale of which was held at the LTTS campus at Mysuru on May 14 and 15.
The event aimed at bridging the industry-academia gap by providing young innovators a platform to build working prototypes for real-world industry challenges across fields like AI, robotics and smart manufacturing.
This remarkable achievement reflects the strong innovation ecosystem nurtured by SOA and Atal Innovation Center-SOA Foundation. The team comprised Koustav Bera, Tanishq Bhakuni, Swetanjana Maity and Ayan Bhattacharjee. Mentored by Dr. Ayes Chinmay, the team won the award for its innovative project ‘C.H.I.R.A.N.J.E.E.V.I’. They were among the 62,000 students representing more than 540 engineering institutions spread across India who participated in the challenge.
The event witnessed an extensive nine month long evaluation journey where thousands of ideas were refined under expert guidance from LTTS engineers and industry mentors. After undergoing the rigorous process, 34 teams advanced to the final stage and showcased functional prototypes before an eminent jury comprising industry leaders, academicians and analysts. The winners were awarded prizes totaling more than Rs. 18 lakh.
Padma Sri awardee Dr. Shubha V. Iyengar of CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, known for developing India’s indigenous runway visibility system ‘Drishti’ who graced the final said that TECHgium uniquely bridged academic creativity with industrial application transforming student concepts into real world engineering solutions.
The achievement of the ITER team highlighted the institution’s growing reputation as a Centre of Excellence in engineering education, research, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, renewable energy and emerging technologies. ITER continuously endeavours to promote innovation-driven learning, interdisciplinary research, industry collaboration and entrepreneurship among students and researchers.
The feat strongly aligns with the vision and mission of SOA in promoting research, innovation, technology-led education and societal transformation through knowledge creation. It also resonates with the national vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ by encouraging indigenous technological solutions, startup culture, deep-tech innovation and churning out of globally competent engineers and entrepreneurs capable of addressing real world challenges through sustainable and self-reliant technological advancements.
It also pointed at the active support of AIC-SOA Foundation, the Atal Incubation Center established under Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India, which has been playing a pivotal role in fostering startups, deep tech innovation, mentoring, incubation and technology commercialization, thereby empowering young innovators to transform ideas into impactful solutions for society and industry.