Cyber Security Innovation Challenge 1.0 empowers students and researchers to create indigenous solutions for real-world threats, fortifying India’s national cyber resilience

Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), today felicitated the winners of the 'Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC)1.0', launched under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) initiative of MeitY.CSIC 1.0 is implemented by Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Hyderabad in association with a network of 50 premier academic and autonomous institutions under the ISEA project. The initiative aimed to foster indigenous, research-driven cybersecurity solutions from the academic ecosystem including students and academic researchers.

The Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC) 1.0 carried prize money of ₹40lakh, making a first-of-its-kind initiative launched for student/researcherand student-led teams to foster development of impact-driven cyber security innovations from the idea to Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage. The winners of theCSIC 1.0 were awarded with trophies and cash prize of ₹10lakh to the winner, and ₹7 lakh and ₹5 lakh respectively to the 1st and 2nd runners-up.

The winners along with the problem statements addressed by them are:

Domain - Problem Statement Addressed

Team Eigen – Anna University, Chennai

Cryptography – Privacy-Preserving KYC Verification System

Team Kaali Topi – ABV IIITM Gwalior

Computer & Network Security – Cloud Misconfiguration Security Scanner

Team Cryptara – NFSU Gandhinagar

Security in Futuristic Technologies – Lightweight Post-Quantum Messaging

In addition, the challenge also conferred special recognition for unique contribution across three identified categories of Most Innovative Idea Award, Women-in-Tech/Diversity Award and Jury's Choice Award, with each awarded cash prize of ₹3 lakh, ₹3 lakh and ₹2 lakh respectively. The special category winners with the problem statements addressed by them are:

Team Nebula – Dayanand Sagar University, Bangalore

Hardware Security – HSM Tampering Detection System

Team Encrypt – Manipal Institute of Technology, Bengaluru

Governance, Operations & Privacy – Consent Management System

Team Gentleman – Lovely Professional University, Punjab

Cyber Forensics – AI-based Log Investigation Framework for Next-Generation Cyber Forensics

Launched in November 2025, the Cyber Security Innovation Challenge hosted on ISEA's Virtual Platform (IVP), fostered development of solutions catering to critical Indian sectors like BFSI, telecom, healthcare and other critical sectors. The participating teams worked on solving real-world cybersecurity problem statements across 10 domains: Computer & Network Security | Mobile Device Security | Systems & Software Security | Hardware Security | Security in Futuristic Technologies | Cryptography | Security in Distributed Wireless Networks | Cyber Forensics | Governance, Operations & Services | Fintech Security.

The Challenge was conducted across five stages, supported by structured mentorship and workshops. It began with the Ideation and Proposal Submission stage, which received entries from 410 teams across India. During the Preliminary Evaluation and Shortlisting of Ideas, 63 teams were shortlisted, of which 45 teams progressed to the next stage. In the Prototype Development and Evaluation stage, the top 20 teams were selected as finalists and awarded interim support of ₹50,000 each. During the Minimum Viable Product stage, the top 20 finalist teams then received support for mentorship, capacity building and MVP enhancement support from a pool of experts from industry and academia. The challenge culminated with the final evaluation of the Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and the announcement of winners. Throughout the Challenge, continuous mentorship and support were provided to accelerate the time-to-market for cybersecurity innovations by bridging the gap between research and deployment.

Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, said, "Delighted to see that the Cyber Security Innovation Challenge 1.0, after five months of intensive effort, has reached its logical conclusion. The challenge addressed a diverse set of problem statements across ten domains of cyber security, each of which are important and critical topics. The initiative witnessed commendable participation from the academic ecosystem, with so many students involved across the country in developing novel solutions to these problems. Through the stages of development leading up to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the challenge supported by industry partners, DSCI, and C-DAC Hyderabad generated the much-need awareness in the field of cyber security. Sustained engagement with all the key stakeholders is important to find indigenous & innovative solutions in cyber security. MeitY remains committed to work with all the stakeholders to provide necessary support to foster innovation, scale emerging solutions, and support enterprise growth—ensuring Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in cybersecurity products and solutions."

Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, "CSIC 1.0 witnessed some of the innovative solutions across the ten distinct problem statements. Many compliments to MeitY, ISEA, DSCI, C-DAC and other stakeholders for supporting this initiative. I wish to see many of the solutions presented by students today, to evolve into market-ready products, fueling a new wave of startups born out of this competition"

Shri Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI, said, "Cyber Security Innovation Challenge 1.0 brings forth a novel yet important addition to the cyber security innovation ecosystem by mobilizing the student/researcher-led innovators and student-led teams to contribute to country's critical sector with real-world solutions. The challenge, supported by MeitY, ISEA Project and CDAC-Hyderabad servedas a collective endeavour to bring together academia, industry, and government support to innovatepractical cyber security solutionsfor developing secure and resilient digital ecosystem of the country.As a first-of-its-kind, student-focused initiative, DSCI reinforces its commitment to nurturing core cyber security capabilities and strengthening collaboration with industry stakeholders to position India as a leading global hub of innovation."

For further information about the innovation challenge, visit: https://www.dsci.in/content/cyber-security-innovation-challenge-1.0

1st Runners Up: Team Kaali Topi

Most Innovative Idea Award: Team Nebula

Women-in-Tech/Diversity Award: Team Encrypt

Jury's Choice Award: Team Gentleman

Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), today felicitated the winners of the 'Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC)1.0', launched under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) initiative of MeitY.CSIC 1.0 is implemented by Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Hyderabad in association with a network of 50 premier academic and autonomous institutions under the ISEA project. The initiative aimed to foster indigenous, research-driven cybersecurity solutions from the academic ecosystem including students and academic researchers.

The Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC) 1.0 carried prize money of ₹40lakh, making a first-of-its-kind initiative launched for student/researcherand student-led teams to foster development of impact-driven cyber security innovations from the idea to Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage. The winners of theCSIC 1.0 were awarded with trophies and cash prize of ₹10lakh to the winner, and ₹7 lakh and ₹5 lakh respectively to the 1st and 2nd runners-up.

The winners along with the problem statements addressed by them are:

Domain - Problem Statement Addressed

Team Eigen – Anna University, Chennai

Cryptography – Privacy-Preserving KYC Verification System

Team Kaali Topi – ABV IIITM Gwalior

Computer & Network Security – Cloud Misconfiguration Security Scanner

Team Cryptara – NFSU Gandhinagar

Security in Futuristic Technologies – Lightweight Post-Quantum Messaging

In addition, the challenge also conferred special recognition for unique contribution across three identified categories of Most Innovative Idea Award, Women-in-Tech/Diversity Award and Jury's Choice Award, with each awarded cash prize of ₹3 lakh, ₹3 lakh and ₹2 lakh respectively. The special category winners with the problem statements addressed by them are:

Team Nebula – Dayanand Sagar University, Bangalore

Hardware Security – HSM Tampering Detection System

Team Encrypt – Manipal Institute of Technology, Bengaluru

Governance, Operations & Privacy – Consent Management System

Team Gentleman – Lovely Professional University, Punjab

Cyber Forensics – AI-based Log Investigation Framework for Next-Generation Cyber Forensics

Launched in November 2025, the Cyber Security Innovation Challenge hosted on ISEA's Virtual Platform (IVP), fostered development of solutions catering to critical Indian sectors like BFSI, telecom, healthcare and other critical sectors. The participating teams worked on solving real-world cybersecurity problem statements across 10 domains: Computer & Network Security | Mobile Device Security | Systems & Software Security | Hardware Security | Security in Futuristic Technologies | Cryptography | Security in Distributed Wireless Networks | Cyber Forensics | Governance, Operations & Services | Fintech Security.

The Challenge was conducted across five stages, supported by structured mentorship and workshops. It began with the Ideation and Proposal Submission stage, which received entries from 410 teams across India. During the Preliminary Evaluation and Shortlisting of Ideas, 63 teams were shortlisted, of which 45 teams progressed to the next stage. In the Prototype Development and Evaluation stage, the top 20 teams were selected as finalists and awarded interim support of ₹50,000 each. During the Minimum Viable Product stage, the top 20 finalist teams then received support for mentorship, capacity building and MVP enhancement support from a pool of experts from industry and academia. The challenge culminated with the final evaluation of the Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and the announcement of winners. Throughout the Challenge, continuous mentorship and support were provided to accelerate the time-to-market for cybersecurity innovations by bridging the gap between research and deployment.

Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, said, "Delighted to see that the Cyber Security Innovation Challenge 1.0, after five months of intensive effort, has reached its logical conclusion. The challenge addressed a diverse set of problem statements across ten domains of cyber security, each of which are important and critical topics. The initiative witnessed commendable participation from the academic ecosystem, with so many students involved across the country in developing novel solutions to these problems. Through the stages of development leading up to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the challenge supported by industry partners, DSCI, and C-DAC Hyderabad generated the much-need awareness in the field of cyber security. Sustained engagement with all the key stakeholders is important to find indigenous & innovative solutions in cyber security. MeitY remains committed to work with all the stakeholders to provide necessary support to foster innovation, scale emerging solutions, and support enterprise growth—ensuring Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in cybersecurity products and solutions."

Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, "CSIC 1.0 witnessed some of the innovative solutions across the ten distinct problem statements. Many compliments to MeitY, ISEA, DSCI, C-DAC and other stakeholders for supporting this initiative. I wish to see many of the solutions presented by students today, to evolve into market-ready products, fueling a new wave of startups born out of this competition"

Shri Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI, said, "Cyber Security Innovation Challenge 1.0 brings forth a novel yet important addition to the cyber security innovation ecosystem by mobilizing the student/researcher-led innovators and student-led teams to contribute to country's critical sector with real-world solutions. The challenge, supported by MeitY, ISEA Project and CDAC-Hyderabad servedas a collective endeavour to bring together academia, industry, and government support to innovatepractical cyber security solutionsfor developing secure and resilient digital ecosystem of the country.As a first-of-its-kind, student-focused initiative, DSCI reinforces its commitment to nurturing core cyber security capabilities and strengthening collaboration with industry stakeholders to position India as a leading global hub of innovation."

For further information about the innovation challenge, visit: https://www.dsci.in/content/cyber-security-innovation-challenge-1.0

1st Runners Up: Team Kaali Topi

Most Innovative Idea Award: Team Nebula

Women-in-Tech/Diversity Award: Team Encrypt

Jury's Choice Award: Team Gentleman