Opportunity brief
Opportunity Description
IDEAForge 2026 – From Problems to Possibilities is an online ideathon organized by Visionary Vault Club, NIET, in collaboration with PetsParivar, and hosted on Unstop. The event aims to encourage students to identify real-world challenges and develop innovative, practical, and scalable solutions.
Eligibility
- Open to college/university students from any recognized institution. - Students from any branch, specialization, or year can participate. - Inter-college teams are allowed. - Inter-specialization/inter-branch teams are allowed. - Participation can be individual or in teams of 2–4 members.
Innovation Tracks
Participants can submit ideas under:
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AI & Smart Technology
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Social Impact & Sustainability
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Smart Campus & Smart City
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PetTech & Animal Welfare
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Open Innovation
Problem Statements
Participants may choose from the following featured challenges:
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Smart Pet Healthcare & Emergency Assistance
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Responsible Pet Adoption & Animal Welfare
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AI for Accessibility & Inclusive Education
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Smart Waste Management & Sustainability
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Student Safety & Emergency Response
- Students struggle to identify which campus sustainability problems are most important to users rather than relying on assumptions.
- Students need better ways to understand why people do not follow existing waste-segregation practices.
- Campus users find some sustainable facilities inconvenient, unclear or difficult to access.
- Existing campus communication about sustainability may not be engaging for students, staff and visitors.
- Students need to test whether a proposed campus improvement actually changes user behaviour.
Participants may also propose an original problem and solution under the Open Innovation track.
Format & Process
Round 1 – Idea Submission
- Participants submit their innovative idea through the Unstop platform. - Submission should clearly explain the problem, proposed solution, innovation/technology used, target users, feasibility, and expected impact. - Teams can submit one idea per team.
Final Round – Idea Pitch & Evaluation
- Shortlisted teams will present their ideas to the evaluation panel. - Teams may be asked to explain the problem, solution, implementation approach, uniqueness, scalability, and impact. - Final presentations will be conducted online.
Timeline
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Registration Opens: 19 September 2026
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Final Round: 25 September 2026
- The exact submission deadline and final-round schedule will be communicated through the Unstop event page/official communication.
Evaluation Criteria
Submissions may be evaluated on:
- Innovation and originality - Problem relevance - Practical feasibility - Technology/implementation approach - Social or business impact -
Scalability
- Presentation and clarity
Rules
- Each participant/team must provide accurate registration details. - A team can have 1–4 members. - Inter-college and inter-branch teams are permitted. - Each team may submit one idea. - Ideas must be original and should not violate intellectual-property rights. - Plagiarism or misrepresentation may result in disqualification. - Participants must submit their work within the specified deadline. - Any form of unfair practice or manipulation of submissions may lead to disqualification. - The organizers reserve the right to verify submissions and eligibility. - The decision of the evaluation panel regarding shortlisted/final submissions will be considered final. - Participants are responsible for ensuring that their submitted content is appropriate, lawful, and their own work. - Organizers may modify the schedule or format if required, with participants informed through official communication.
Organizers
Visionary Vault Club, NIET
In Collaboration With: PetsParivar
Platform: Unstop
Turn Problems into Possibilities. Build. Present. Innovate.
Official WhatsApp Group – Mandatory
After completing registration, all participants are requested to join the official IDEAForge 2026 WhatsApp Group for important announcements, shortlist updates, final-round instructions and event-related communication.
Join Official WhatsApp Group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JzbWsZZrW3vERey7ns8tAk
You can also make it a mandatory instruction in your event description. Similar Unstop events explicitly instruct registered participants to join an official WhatsApp group for updates.