College and Above Level | SEVA FIRST- Rashtriya Youth Innovation Challenge 2026

SEVA FIRST – Rashtriya Youth Innovation Challenge (RYIC) 2026 is a national innovation platform organised by Delhi Technological University (DTU), New Delhi, in association with the Government of India. Launched at DTU on 19 September 2026, the Challenge empowers India's youth to identify real problems in their own surroundings and transform them into sustainable, affordable and implementable solutions. It brings together students, researchers, educational institutions, industry, government and mentors to take innovations from problem identification and ideation through design, prototyping, validation and implementation — nurturing innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship along the way.

Who Should Apply The Challenge is open to participants across two broad categories. The Diploma & Higher Education category covers students or teams from Diploma, Undergraduate, Postgraduate and PhD programmes, including both technical and non-technical institutions. The Industry & Government Open Category covers urban and rural industries, MSMEs, startups, R&D organisations and government laboratories, participating individually or through collaborative teams. Individuals, groups/teams and eligible organisations may all participate, subject to the specific eligibility requirements of each challenge.

Tracks / Themes Participants choose between two levels of innovation. National Level Innovation tackles challenges of national significance with scalable solutions — tracks include Advanced Engineering, Infrastructure, Future Mobility & Transportation; Defence, Intelligence, Space & National Security; Disaster Management & Resilience; Energy, Sustainable Technology & Environment; and Manufacturing & Electronics, AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems. Innovations here should start at TRL 4–6 and progress towards TRL 7–9. Local Community Level Innovations – Village / District / State focuses on locally relevant, affordable solutions with replication potential, starting at TRL 1–3 and progressing towards TRL 6–7. Its tracks include City & Urban Problems; Education & Skill Development; Employment & Livelihood; Environment & Natural Resources; Healthcare & Community Well-being; Miscellaneous; Safety & Disaster Management; Sports (Khelo India); Transport, Energy & Tourism; Village & Panchayat Development, Agriculture & Rural Economy; and Women & Child Safety and Development. Participants may choose from the 21 provided problem statements, combine multiple themes into one integrated solution, or propose their own problem statement rooted in the challenges they observe around them.

Format & Timeline The Challenge runs in structured phases. Registration and Ideate covers the launch of problem statements, awareness campaigns, idea submission, local problem identification and online orientation sessions. Screen involves preliminary scrutiny, eligibility checks, technical and innovation assessment, shortlisting of promising ideas and announcement of selected teams. Build & Evaluate offers online mentoring, expert consultations, design development, engineering analysis, workshops and boot camps, access to laboratories and fabrication facilities, prototype development and interim design review. Validate & Test covers prototype testing, performance measurement, safety and reliability assessment, field trials, demonstrations in relevant environments and refinement against defined challenge parameters. Final Select involves submission of final reports, final prototype demonstration, National Jury evaluation and selection of finalists and winners. Result Declaration takes place at a National Innovation Exhibition with finalist demonstrations, presentations before the National Jury, interaction with industry and government, and official distribution of awards.

Prizes For the college level, the Unstop listing gives a ₹1.05 crore prize pool across 21 innovation tracks, with 63 winners. DTU's official site states total prize money of ₹2 crore for the whole challenge, across all participant levels combined; it does not split that figure by level. The top three winners in every track receive ₹2,50,000 (1st), ₹1,50,000 (2nd) and ₹1,00,000 (3rd). Unstop also lists additional awards: the Grand Seva Innovation Award (₹5,00,000), the Best College Innovation Award (₹2,00,000), the People's Choice Innovation Award (₹1,00,000) and the Emerging Innovator Award (₹1,00,000). Beyond cash, participants gain innovation and problem-solving skills, real-world application experience, teamwork and leadership development, exposure to mentors and industry, and recognition with incubation opportunities for outstanding innovations.

Eligibility Open to students and teams from colleges, universities, ITIs, higher education institutions and other eligible institutions, as well as industries, MSMEs, startups, R&D organisations and government laboratories. Teams may range from 1 to 6 members.

About the Organiser Delhi Technological University (DTU), formerly Delhi College of Engineering, is one of India's leading technical universities, based in New Delhi. The Challenge is run in association with the Government of India.

How to Apply Registration follows a six-step process: confirm your eligibility and select the appropriate regional or participation category; choose either National Level Innovation or Local Community Level Innovation; choose the theme that best matches your challenge; select a specific problem statement (or propose your own where permitted); create your team and designate a Team Leader; and describe the problem, proposed solution, innovation, technology, beneficiaries, feasibility and expected impact. New registrations on Unstop closed on 2 October 2026, 1:00 PM IST. Registered teams work through ideation, screening and build until the first round closes on 10 November 2026, 11:59 PM IST; the Final Select stage then runs from 20 to 26 November 2026 (Unstop's round schedule). DTU says it is moving registrations to its own portal, sewafirstryic.dtu.ac.in, where sign-up opens once the official problem statements are released.

Open to students and teams from colleges, universities, ITIs and higher education institutions, as well as industries, MSMEs, startups, R&D organisations and government laboratories. Teams of 1–6 members.