The CDSCO-IndiaAI Health Innovation Acceleration Hackathon is a national-scale AI/ML competition organised by IndiaAI (MeitY) in collaboration with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). This hackathon challenges innovators to develop cutting-edge solutions that streamline and enhance the regulatory review processes for new drugs, medical devices, and clinical trials within CDSCO. The goal is to address document-intensive bottlenecks and seamlessly integrate with existing SUGAM and MD Online portals, fostering efficiency and transparency in India's health regulatory framework.
Problem Statements & Themes
Participants will tackle critical problem statements across four core components:
- Data Anonymisation: Developing solutions for detecting and anonymising Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) in both structured and unstructured data, ensuring compliance with the DPDP Act 2023.
- Document Summarisation: Creating AI models to summarise complex regulatory documents into standardised, concise text formats.
- Completeness Assessment & Classification: Building systems to identify missing fields, classify the severity of deficiencies, and detect duplicate submissions.
- Comparison & Reporting: Designing tools for tracking version changes in documents and generating comprehensive reports on inspection observations.
Format & Timeline
The hackathon features a two-stage format. Stage 1 involves virtual development, where teams will build and refine their solutions remotely. The top 10 performing teams from Stage 1 will then advance to Stage 2, an intensive 5-day on-premise round held at the CDSCO headquarters in New Delhi, where they will further develop and present their innovations. The competition officially begins on March 19, 2026.
Prizes
An impressive prize pool of ₹85 lakh awaits the winning teams. This includes a significant ₹50 lakh work contract awarded to the top team, providing a direct opportunity to implement their solution within CDSCO. Additionally, cash prizes will be distributed among the top three teams, and a special cash prize will be awarded to an outstanding all-women team, encouraging diverse participation in health innovation.
Eligibility
This hackathon is exclusively open to Indian companies registered under the Companies Act 2013, with a minimum of 51% Indian shareholding, and startups recognised by DPIIT. Applicants are required to demonstrate proprietary solutions supported by comprehensive technical documentation, relevant certifications, intellectual property (IP) or patents, and prior deployment experience, ensuring a high standard of innovation and readiness.
How to Apply
Interested teams must register and submit their applications by the deadline of April 30, 2026, through the official IndiaAI Aikosh platform.
