The Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE), Government of Odisha, in collaboration with IIT Bhubaneswar and UNICEF, launched the OdiaPreneur Smart Odisha Hackathon 3.0 website today.
The initiative aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among students of Higher Secondary Schools and Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas.
Smt. Niyati Pattnaik, Director of DHSE, formally unveiled the OdiaPreneur portal. Through this platform, students can showcase their creative ideas and register innovative concepts online with guidance from mentors. Moreover, the hackathon will collect the best ideas from across the state and provide opportunities for students to interact with industry leaders and entrepreneurs.
The launch event brought together key stakeholders, including Smt. Smita Raut, SPD of OAVs, Dr Naresh Chandra Sahu, Assistant Professor at IIT Bhubaneswar, Lalita Pattnaik, Education Specialist at UNICEF, Smt. C.H. Vijayalakshmi, Deputy Director, and Dr Umakant Sethy, OIC of SAMS.
Speaking at the event, Director Pattnaik emphasised that the hackathon would encourage creativity while exposing students to real-world experiences. Furthermore, Dr Sahu expressed IIT Bhubaneswar’s pride in collaborating with DHSE to empower young innovators. He noted that the hackathon would showcase talent, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, while experts would mentor students to achieve excellence. UNICEF’s Lalita Pattnaik praised DHSE’s efforts, highlighting that the program would channel student innovation toward solving social challenges.
Over 3,000 students are expected to participate in the hackathon scheduled for December 2025 and January 2026. In addition, more than 900 innovative ideas are likely to be submitted. Participation will primarily include students of Classes XI and XII. The hackathon will focus on themes such as agriculture, healthcare, renewable energy, and waste management. The program will unfold in three stages—school, district, and state level—over the next two months.
