Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) April 6: The All-India Council for Technical Education is set to roll out the third edition of its Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp 2026 from April 6, aiming to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurial skills among students across the country.
The five-day programme, organised through the AICTE Innovation Cell, will be conducted in three phases across 30 locations nationwide. The first phase is scheduled from April 6 to April 10 at 13 centres, marking the beginning of a large-scale initiative designed to promote design thinking and startup-oriented learning.
The bootcamp is expected to involve around 6,500 students from higher education institutions, including participants and winners of the Smart India Hackathon, institutions under the Institution’s Innovation Council framework, and students working on innovative ideas or prototypes. The programme will focus on refining concepts, improving design and ergonomics, and preparing participants for investment-ready pitching. Faculty mentors will guide student teams throughout the sessions.
Officials stated that the initiative has been structured to ensure wider regional participation, with locations spread across multiple regions, including Jammu and Kashmir and the North Eastern states. The inclusion of Tier-II and Tier-III cities is aimed at expanding access to innovation platforms beyond major urban centres.
For the first time, the bootcamp will be conducted in Leh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, extending the programme’s reach to remote and strategically significant regions. The move is expected to enhance participation from geographically diverse student communities.
The launch event in the islands will take place at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, where L. Kumar, Secretary (Education), will formally inaugurate the programme on April 6.
The bootcamp is designed to support early-stage innovators by providing structured training, mentorship, and exposure to practical challenges. It aims to enable students to convert ideas into viable solutions through guided sessions and collaborative learning.
With its expanded footprint and focus on inclusivity, the IDE Bootcamp 2026 is positioned to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem by engaging young talent from diverse regions and encouraging entrepreneurship-driven development.
