Sri Vijaya Puram, April 2: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), through its Innovation Cell, is set to launch the 3rd Edition of the Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp 2026 on 6th April, 2026. This flagship initiative aims to foster innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurial capabilities among students across India. The IDE Bootcamp is an initiative envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, aimed at nurturing innovation, design, and entrepreneurial skills among student innovators. The program is carefully designed to equip participants with critical skills and an adaptive mindset required in today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment.
The 5-day bootcamp will be conducted in three phases across 30 locations nationwide, ensuring wide outreach and regional diversity:
Phase I: 6th–10th April, 2026 at 13 locations
Phase II: 20th–24th April, 2026 at 13 locations
Phase III: 11th -15th May, 2026 at 4 locations
The program is expected to witness participation from approximately 6,500 students, primarily comprising teams from higher education institutions including Smart India Hackathon (SIH) participants and winners, Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) institutions, and students with innovative ideas or prototypes requiring design improvement, ergonomic enhancement, and guidance for investment-ready pitching. Faculty mentors will accompany and guide the student teams throughout the bootcamp.
Importantly, the bootcamp locations span across Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern states, ensuring inclusive participation from geographically diverse regions including Tier-II, Tier III cities. For the first time, the IDE Bootcamp is being organized in Leh (Ladakh) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, marking a significant step towards expanding innovation outreach to remote and strategically important regions. Dr. B R Ambedkar Institute of Technology has been selected as the host institute in Andaman & Nicobar Islands scheduled from 6th–10th April 2026.
The theme of the program reflects the belief that Design Can Be the Greatest Change Agent for Development. The IDE Bootcamp was initially launched in 2023 by the Hon’ble Minister of Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. Since then, the program has been successfully conducted across the country with significant impact.
Focused on fostering creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking, the Bootcamp encourages students and faculty to explore new approaches to problem-solving. Through exposure to real-world challenges, hands-on activities, and collaborative learning, participants are prepared to confidently navigate the complexities of the innovation and startup ecosystem.
The Wadhwani Foundation is the Knowledge Partner for the program, providing expert master trainers, while the SBI Foundation is supporting the initiative as the Organization Partner. The bootcamp includes expert sessions by startup founders, incubation leaders, and domain experts, who will also serve on the jury panel during the final pitching session on Day 5. Participating teams will present their refined ideas, and the top 5 teams at each location will be recognized with appreciation certificates and non-monetary awards.
The program will be centrally inaugurated on 6th April 2026 by Prof. Yogesh Singh, Chairman, AICTE, in the presence of Dr. Shyama Rath, Member Secretary, AICTE, through a virtual ceremony from AICTE Headquarters.