IIT Ropar: Students, researchers, startups, developers, and early career technologists can submit applications for the AI agriculture hackathon by July 21.
ANNAM.AI, India’s first Agriculture Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence (CoE), hosted at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar under the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, has launched HACK CORE 2026, a nation-wide AI hackathon in collaboration with Syngenta and Google.
According to IIT Ropar’s official press release, the hackathon will invite students, researchers, startups, developers, and young technologists from across India to develop AI-driven solutions for crop health, pest management, soil intelligence, climate-resilient agriculture, and biological products.
Applications for HACK CORE 2026 close on July 21, 2026. Interested candidates can register and access further information through the official website.
AI solutions for agriculture
HACK CORE 2026 aims to encourage practical and scalable AI solutions that will improve the productivity and sustainability of Indian agriculture. The winning team will have the opportunity to visit Syngenta’s research center in Atessa, Italy, and experience advanced biological research facilities and technology.
The winning team will also receive Google Cloud credits to access the project’s infrastructure, data tools, AI resources, and software support.
Participants will also receive mentorship and research support from agronomy experts from ANNAM.AI and Syngenta.
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36 hour build sprint at IIT Ropar
One of the key highlights of the hackathon is the 36-hour ‘build sprint’ conducted at IIT Ropar. The shortlisted teams will work with researchers, industry experts, and educators to transform their ideas into working prototypes that deliver practical benefits to farmers. This sprint is designed to help participants build scalable solutions that can be implemented at the ground level.
Focus on sustainable agriculture
Emphasizing the growing importance of sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices, Pushpendra P Singh, Project Director, ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar, said, “As agriculture moves towards more sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices, bio-based products are emerging as important alternatives to traditional crop protection solutions.AI. By leveraging technology, we as innovators have the opportunity to improve farmer productivity while increasing environmental sustainability. By partnering with the world’s leading agricultural innovation companies, Syngenta, HACK CORE 2026 will bring together India’s brightest innovators to build practical technology-driven solutions that help solve the most pressing challenges facing farmers today.”
Organizers said the initiative is in line with the Indian government’s vision to leverage advanced technology to strengthen the agricultural sector and improve the lives of farmers.
According to a press release from IIT Ropar, the national-level hackathon will support India’s digital agriculture goals by encouraging AI-backed innovations that drive smarter decision-making, higher productivity, and sustainable farming practices.
