BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Saturday rolled out Odiapreneur 3.0 - a smart hackathon programme to foster innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among the higher secondary students.
The third edition of hackathon was launched by the directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) of the School and Mass Education department in collaboration with the Research and Entrepreneurship Park of IIT Bhubaneswar and UNICEF. The event will provide a platform for students to showcase their creative solutions to real-world problems and promote technology-oriented innovation, said higher secondary education director Niyati Pattnaik.
The hackathon, scheduled to take place in December this year and January 2026, is expected to see participation of 3,000 students with 900 plus ideas from higher secondary schools as well as the Odisha Adarsha Vidyalays (OAVs).
Associate Professor at IIT Bhubaneswar Naresh Chandra Sahu said the best innovative ideas from young minds will also get mentorship support from industry experts at the Research and Entrepreneurship Park. As part of the programme the Odiapreneur 3.0 portal was launched on the day to facilitate student registration in over 1,500 higher secondary schools.
The initiative will culminate in 30 district-level hackathons, where top three teams from each district will qualify for the state-level hackathon. The final showcase will be held at the IIT-Bhubaneswar campus, with the Research and Entrepreneurship Park playing a major role in providing technological support and execution expertise. Students will be rewarded with cash prizes at both district and state levels, recognising their innovative solutions and entrepreneurial spirit.
Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan state project director Smita Rout, UNICEF Odisha education specialist Lalita Patnaik and other officials were present.
