International
14 Sep 2026
On 7 September 2026, the Loyola-ICAM College of Engineering and Technology (LICET) hosted IETE Inception ’26, a hackathon focused on problem-solving and rapid prototyping.
Organised by LICET’s Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) in association with the IETE Student Forum (ISF) and the Institution’s Innovation Council, the event was held as part of the Engineers’ Day celebrations.
A 10-hour challenge for promising solutions
From 8 am to 6 pm, participants worked in teams of 3 to 4 students to turn an idea into a proof of concept or a working prototype. Out of 41 registered teams, 20 were selected for the final competition, based on real-world problem statements covering four broad technical domains:
– healthcare and assistive technology,
– AI and education,
– robotics and autonomous systems,
– sustainable engineering and social impact.
Throughout the day, the selected teams received individual technical feedback from a panel of expert judges, allowing them to refine their solutions in real time. The final evaluation was based on innovation, efficiency, technical approach and the level of prototype development.
The hackathon concluded with the announcement of winners in each of the four domains, while several promising solutions were identified for future development and possible industry collaboration.
Preparing LICET students for major competitions
Beyond the competition itself, IETE Inception ’26 was designed as a springboard for meaningful exchanges with industry experts. The event also drew strong involvement from ECE faculty, coming just days after a Train the Trainer programme on ARM Cortex-M23 embedded systems. This preparation is intended to help LICET students position themselves for innovation competitions at national level.
IETE Inception ’26 thus gave LICET students a comprehensive training ground, drawing on their problem-solving skills, technical expertise, teamwork and creativity to turn ideas into impactful solutions.
