Bhubaneswar: The State-Level Hackathon 3.0--Odiapreneur--was inaugurated at the IIT Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Participating in the event, altogether 192 students from 101 schools across Odisha showcased innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

The programme was graced by Niyati Pattnaik, Director, DHSE; Sasmita Mali, Joint Director, DHSE; Ch. Vijaya Laxmi, Deputy Director, DHSE; Lalita Pattnaik, State Head, UNICEF Odisha; Soobhankara Pati, CEO, IIT Bhubaneswar Research & Entrepreneurship Park; and Prof. Umaprasana Ojha, Dean, Faculty Affairs, IIT Bhubaneswar.

A collaborative initiative of Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE), Odisha; UNICEF Odisha and IIT Bhubaneswar Research & Entrepreneurship Park, Odiapreneur aims to nurture creativity, innovation, problem-solving and entrepreneurship among higher secondary students.

The initiative received 969 ideas from young learners, of which 749 were selected for the district-level event. The State-level event features 192 students from 101 schools, supported by approximately 100 mentors.

“When young people are given a platform, mentorship and an opportunity to solve real problems, their ideas can become the starting point for meaningful change,” said Pattnaik.

 Odiapreneur encourages students to identify challenges in their communities and develop innovative, practical and technology-enabled solutions. The State-level Hackathon is envisioned not as the end of the journey, but as a beginning—providing promising ideas opportunities for further mentoring, prototype development, incubation and technical support.