KIIT Hosts India Hub of Harvard HSIL Hackathon 2026
KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, successfully hosted the India (Bhubaneswar) Hub of the Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Hackathon 2026, a global initiative led by the Health Systems Innovation Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on April 10–11, 2026. The event was organized by the KIIT School of Public Health, led by Dr. Ramya Pinnamaneni, in partnership with the KIIT Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), led by Dr. Mrutyunjay Suar; coordinated by Dr. Bhaskar Das; the KIIT Technology Enabling Centre (TEC), led by Dr. Nirjara Singhvi; and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health-India Research Center, led by Prof. K. Viswanath and Dr. Swati Bakshi.
The hackathon witnessed remarkable global participation, with over 14,000 applicants from 41 countries across 50 hubs. In India, it was conducted at two locations — KIIT-DU, Bhubaneswar, and IC-IIT, Patna. At KIIT, participants from across the country, representing diverse fields such as public health, medicine, engineering, technology, design, and entrepreneurship, came together to develop innovative and scalable solutions aligned with the theme, “Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging AI.” The event provided a dynamic platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world problem-solving.
The event was enriched by the valuable contributions of mentors and jury members, who provided critical insights and guidance throughout the hackathon. The mentors included Dr. Aanchal Katoch, Ms. Riya Roy, Ms. Jayalaxmi Dash, and Mr. Sudhir Jha (KIIT-TBI/BCKIC); Dr. Shikta Singh and Dr. Chinmay Chakraborty (KIIT-DU); and Mr. Stefan Thottunkal (Stanford University).
The jury comprised distinguished experts, including Dr. Namrata Misra (CEO, BCKIC); Dr. Loknath Dash (AVP, CARE Hospitals); Dr. Gautom Kumar Saharia (AIIMS Bhubaneswar); Mr. Dipankar Rath (AI Consultant, Government of Odisha); Dr. Dilip Das (Kalinga Hospital Ltd.); Dr. Ashok Kumar Badamali (Inofinity R&D Pvt. Ltd.); Dr. Ashok Panda (STPI Bhubaneswar); and Dr. Niranjan Mishra (KIMS). Their collective expertise played a key role in shaping ideas into feasible, scalable, and impactful solutions.
At the conclusion of the event, six teams were shortlisted, out of which two teams were nominated to advance to the next stage of the global HSIL program. These teams will participate in a virtual boot camp led by Harvard, alongside 50 selected teams globally, with further opportunities to pitch to international investors.