Techfest is the annual science and technology festival of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, consisting of social initiatives and outreach programs throughout the year.[1]
Started in 1998 with the aim of providing a platform for the Indian student community to develop and showcase their projects,[2] with a footfall of 1.8 lakhs in its latest edition.[3][4][5] The activities culminate in a large three-day event on the campus of IIT Bombay which attracts people from all over the world, including students, academics, and other members of the general public.[6]
Techfest 1998 marked the inception of Techfest, the annual science and technology festival of IIT Bombay. It set the broad outlines of the festival with competitions, lecture series, workshops, and exhibitions, which have since become its core features. Entrepreneurship also made appearances in the 1999 and 2000 editions. The entertainment segment, called Technoholix, debuted during these years and featured technological shows and on-the-spot activities.[7]
Techfest 2001–2002 saw the inclusion of department-based events like Yantriki, Chemsplash and Last Straw. Students from G H Raisoni College of Engineering received the Engineering Excellence Award for best design. The award-winning team included Mr. Amit Shankar Choudhary, Mr. Fahad Azad, and Mr. Bodhisatta Ganguly from GHRCE, Nagpur.[7]
Techfest 2002–2003 launched the Techfest Trophy to increase competition engagement. Colleges from across India participated to win the coveted trophy.[7]
Techfest 2003–2004 marked a milestone with the introduction of the International Machine Design Contest – Cliffhanger. It also saw India’s first hosting of the robotics competition Micromouse. Teams from Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Singapore took part.[7]
Techfest 2004–2005 introduced problem-based competitions like Survivor and social-impact projects like Drishti, in association with the National Association for the Blind.[7]
Techfest 2006 shifted focus from pure engineering to applied technology. The new segment E-Rustique had problem statements aiming at rural innovation.[7]
Techfest 2006–2007 introduced Nexus, a workshop-plus-competition module that took robotics to cities beyond Mumbai.[7]
Techfest 2007–2008 expanded Nexus to 7 cities: Indore, Calicut, Jaipur, New Delhi, Pune, Surat, and Mumbai. It also launched a campaign on global warming.[7]
Techfest 2008–2009 introduced iNexus, expanding Nexus internationally to Sri Lanka, UAE, and Denmark. The finalists from these countries were flown to India. Prayaas, an open innovation platform, was also introduced.[8]
Techfest 2009–2010 introduced Scintillations, a segment of night exhibitions and shows. Exhibitors included ISRO, Indian Navy, and NDMA.[7]
Techfest 2010–2011 added Crossroads, a street entertainment zone. Events included street magic and stunt shows. Technoholix featured the world’s best Double Dutch crew, and lectures included Harold Kroto and Richard Stallman.[7]
Techfest 2011–2012 featured the Indo-Pak peace initiative Ummeed-e-Milaap. WAVE-India promoted electric vehicle awareness through a 2500+ km road trip. Lecturers included Venki Ramakrishnan and Karlheinz Brandenburg. Exhibits included Nao Robot and Crazy File.[7]
Techfest 2012–2013 was graced by Amartya Sen, Ei-ichi Negishi, and Rakesh Sharma. The International Robotics Challenge saw participation from 8 countries. TechOlympics was launched. Initiatives like Green Campus Challenge (750 colleges) and Give-A-Coin were widely appreciated.[7]
Techfest 2013–2014 saw a record participation of 1.35 lakh. The lecture series included C.N.R. Rao, Pranav Mistry, and Kiran Bedi. Technoholix premiered a 3D projection play. The anti-smoking campaign I SMOKE entered the Limca Book of Records. Reliance Jio launched 4G services at Techfest.[7]
Techfest 2014–2015 had a footfall of 1.45 lakh and lectures by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Bjarne Stroustrup, and Vint Cerf. Initiatives were nominated for the TOI Social Impact Awards. Campaigns included Smart City Challenge and ASK, promoting the RTI Act.[7]
Techfest 2015–2016 recorded the highest footfall of 1.65 lakh. Notable speakers were Serge Haroche, Eric Klinker, and K. Radhakrishnan. New campaigns included Recycle, promoting fitness and environment, and Internet for All, for digital literacy in partnership with NIELIT.[7]
Techfest 2016–2017, themed "A Space Expedition", featured Rakesh Sharma, Bruce Allen, and Mark Papermaster. It hosted World MUN with 525 delegates. Social initiatives included CURED? (diabetes awareness), Save The Souls (animal testing petition), and IAmPower (girls in STEM).[7]
Techfest 2017–2018 had the theme "Digitalization, Sustainability and Biotechnology", with 1.75 lakh participants. Highlights included Sophia the robot and lectures by Tanmay Bakshi, Manohar Parrikar, and Jayanth Sinha. Initiatives included SHE (menstrual health) and Nirbhaya (women’s self-defence workshops).[7]
Techfest 2018–2019 followed the theme "A Timeless Lapse". The 14th Dalai Lama and Simon Taufel delivered lectures. Under the Student Solar Ambassador Program, 1.25 lakh students built solar lamps. A Guinness World Record was set for most LED lights lit. SPEAK promoted mental health awareness.[7]
Techfest 2019–2020, themed "Da Vincian Spectacle", merged art and science. Notable speakers included Zaheer Khan, Vidya Balan, Narayan Murthy, and Tshering Tobgay. Campaigns included IUnderstand (financial literacy) and BOLT (bone health awareness).[7]
Techfest 2020–2021 was themed "An Elysian Singularity" and held fully online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers included the Dalai Lama, Malcolm Turnbull, Rana Daggubati, and Andrew Ng. Initiatives included HOPE (mental health), WeCare (animal welfare), and Virtual Industry Visits.[7]
Techfest 2021–2022 marked the 25th edition with the theme "The Multiversal Escapade". Eminent guests included Kevin Rudd, Ehud Olmert, Scott Belsky, and Takaaki Kajita. New initiatives included Nidaan (breast cancer awareness), Saksham (for differently abled), and Drishti (eye donation awareness).[7]
Techfest 2022–2023 had the theme "The Submerged Sojourn". Eminent personalities such as Tarja Halonen, Kathryn Leuders, Suresh Prabhu and Lars Rasmussen attended. Highlights included India's first-ever consumer 5G test by Jio, a Drone Light Show, and the launch of the Drone Racing League.[7]
Patronages, awards and recognitions
Techfest is among the very few student organizations to have received patronage from United Nations organisations. Among its various recognitions, prominent ones are listed below:
Techfest has also been nominated for the Times of India "Social Impact Award 2015" for its unique social campaigns in the field of child education, women empowerment, encouraging Indo-Pak relations and creating awareness
Techfest, IIT Bombay in association with SoULS, IIT Bombay created a Guinness World Record for the "most LED lights lit simultaneously" on 2 October 2018
Structure and organisation
All Team Meet of Techfest 2016-2017
Techfest is an entirely student-organized body. The core committee has 24 members: two Overall Coordinators at the helm and 22 managers who overlook all the aspects and activities of Techfest. Each Manager has a portfolio assigned to them which can be broadly categorized into two sections - administration and events. The administrative portfolios primarily include tasks like accounts, infrastructure, marketing, hospitality, publicity and media along with helping with the events. The events portfolios include responsibility for each of the numerous happenings and initiatives are taken by Techfest each year. A team of over 800 Coordinators and Organizers along with 2500+ College ambassadors works in sync with the managers to execute and implement the activities of the festival. Each manager has their own team of coordinators and organisers, who together take care of every little detail of the department and ensure that the ideas of the team are executed smoothly.[11]
Participants of International Robotics Challenge, Techfest
Competitions serve as the backbone of Techfest by fulfilling its motto of spreading Science and Technology. Techfest 2023 Competitions saw a total participation of over 35,000 from various parts of the globe. With participation from more than 20 countries, this segment has evolved to become a tremendous stage for international exchange. Young enthusiasts from all over the world come together at this magnificent platform to prove their mettle at the vanguard of technical competitions. Competitions of Techfest, IIT Bombay, covers various genres under this segment like Competitive Coding under International Coding Challenge and World Programming Championship, Game Development under Game of Codes, Aerospace under Drone Challenge and Boeing Aeromodelling Competition, Aquatics under Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge (AUV), RC Nitro Buggy Car under International Full Throttle,[13] Robotics under Robowars, Cozmoclench, National Challenge, Blixathon International Robotics Challenge and International Micromouse Challenge,[14][13] Gaming under E-sports, Structural Engineering under Crane-o-Mania. Techfest organized a plethora of online competitions for participants around the globe. These explored different genres like AI/ML under Datamatics Hackathon, Cashflow Modelling and Hack AI, Software Development under Mernifier and Coddecode, and application-based competitions like Atom-Quest, Dronelog and Certi-Tech. Ideate competitions, namely Urban Futurism, Tech Aid and Task Whiz, which require participants to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems, were also conducted.[13][15]
Techfest also organizes competitions for school kids to encourage them to explore the field of science and technology. Competitions like Techfest Olympiads (Online as well as Offline), and Innovation Challenge were conducted in 2023 which aimed at promoting innovation and creativity in young minds. In the 27th edition of Techfest, 25+ brainstorming competitions were conducted in different modes, focused on solving real-world problems, like TIH-IoT, Playto Competition, and many more.
Furthermore, marking a significant milestone, the algorithmic trading competition - AlgoNinja was conducted for the first time catering to quant enthusiasts across the country featuring cash prize of over 1 Million INR. This three-stage competition, in association with FinDoc, started from the ideation stage where each team presented their strategies and objectives. The competition concluded at Techfest in IIT Bombay, where finalists’ trading algorithms were judged by an expert panel based on their returns, volatility, robustness, and practicality
The International Robotics Challenge (IRC)[9] used to be an international competition, which had participation from over 12 countries. The elimination rounds are held in the respective countries and the finals are held at Techfest. IRC has seen participation from France, Russia, Sweden, South Africa, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Syria, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Techfest International Coding Challenge also saw participation from different countries.
Drone Racing League went International for the first time in India at Techfest 2023 including participation of Killian Rousseau from France, who had been two-times World Cup champion and 2022 World Games winner . Year after year, Techfest continues to push the limits of what can be achieved in the realm of technology, serving as a catalyst for inspiring the upcoming generation of pioneers and inventors.
In addition to the list of other competitions, the zonal competitions at Techfest, named Technorion included Six nationwide zonal centers as Jaipur, Nagpur, Bhopal, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad competing in robotics and coding competitions namely Meshmerize, CoDecode, Cozmo Clench, and Techfest Olympiads held especially for school students around the country.[16]
Technorion 2022 went International wherein we had International Technorion in Nepal in association with Advanced Robotics Club - ARC, Nepal, in Madagascar in association with STEM4GOOD Madagascar, and in Bangladesh in association with DUET, Bangladesh. The winners from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Madagascar then represented their nation at Techfest from 16–18 December[citation needed]
[13] Robowars is the grandest competition in the entire Techfest. It has been one of the biggest crowd-pullers in recent years, with an audience of 7500+ in Techfest 2023. In the starting years, there were two weight categories, 120lbs and 30lbs. Throughout the years, Robowars has seen mass participation and a massive crowd watching this event. Eventually, the event became The International Robowars[13] in Techfest 2017-18. The International Robowars has been hosted by the renowned Battlebots announcer, Faruq Tauheed in Techfest 2022 and by renowned Indian model, actor, voice artist, TV presenter, and [17] anchor Gagandeep Sayal in the last year. Techfest saw a participation of more than 450 participants, with Team UARRIOR (World No.1 Team at the time) also participating in the event. Also, a new weight category of 8kg was introduced in 2019, followed by the introduction of the latest weight category of 30kg, which was introduced in 2022. The current champion for the International Robowars in the 60kg category was team Prixx. The International Robowars boasts a humongous prize money of 1.3 million. For the first time in its history, The International Robowars was broadcast on Jio TV. Currently, the Champions are Riobotz(Brazil) and BlankaBotz holds the record for winning The Robowars Title the most number of times (3).
The 2024 edition of International Robowars at Techfest, IIT Bombay marked a major milestone in expanding the global reach of combat robotics. The event featured participation from 50+ national teams and 10+ international teams, making it one of the most diverse and competitive editions to date. This year, International Zonal Robowars were conducted across five countries to serve as official qualifying rounds for the main event. Notably, 2024 marked the first-ever zonal event in North America, held in Mexico, further extending the competition’s geographic footprint. These zonals enabled top-performing international teams to earn direct entry into the grand finale at IIT Bombay. Finalists from the zonal rounds competed alongside leading Indian teams in a specially designed battle arena. The event drew massive attention, attracting an audience of over 15k spectators across two days of the festival. This enthusiastic turnout reinforced Robowars' reputation as a premier attraction at Techfest and a leading combat robotics event in Asia.[citation needed]
DJ night organized as a part of Technoholix at Techfest, IIT Bombay.
Lectures
The past speakers at Techfest have included the following:
Two of the highest impact social initiatives by Techfest so far have been-
SSAP - Student Solar Ambassador Program conducted workshops across all states of India where over 1,25,000 students were trained to assemble their solar lamps and became Solar Ambassadors. This initiative also holds the Guinness World Record for the most number of LED lights lit simultaneously.
SHE - Sanitary Health Education was a social initiative focused on emancipating the taboo of menstruation in India by conducting hygiene management sessions and distributing 200,000+ sanitary napkins in 25+ villages.
The 25th edition of Techfest witnessed social initiatives like Drishti, Saksham, and Nidaan. Which had 50 myth-buster sessions spreading awareness about eye donation to 1,00,000 people & got 500 pledges signed in a single day under the initiative Drishti. Also, the initiative Saksham promoted the betterment of differently abled people through 50 awareness sessions reaching 43,000 people and associating with 15 prominent NGOs under it. Moreover, the initiative Nidaan to spread awareness about the treatment of breast cancer by conducting 50 sessions and reaching 13,000 people in association with 10 NGOs
Cyclothon- Pedal for the Planet is a sustainability initiative promoting cycling to reduce carbon emissions from motor vehicles. It advocates for eco-friendly transportation and sustainable living to support environmental conservation and societal well-being.
Ozone
Ozone or 'On the spot zone' comprises the amusement part of Techfest. It is a place to hang around for exciting games and astounding street performances. Started in 2006, it has proved to be an integral part of Techfest in the past few years. Through Ozone, Techfest has brought in various entertainment-based technical gadgetry for the first time in India, be it Lazer tag (2010), VirtuSphere (2011), Silent Disco (2013),[27] F1 Simulator (2014)[22] or Oculus Rift (2015), Augmented Wall (2017, China),[3]Beat Saber (2018) 9-D simulator, most powerful realism(2019). Events like Junkyard Wars, Paintball, Water Zorbing, 6D-XD Simulator, Flying Simulator, Go Karting, ATV rides and the Gaming Zone help keep the audience engrossed when they are not involved in the grueling competitions and workshops.
Techfest has hosted an International Summit on topics like Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things, over the years. An International summit was held in Techfest for two days. It focused on understanding how the business will be affected by these technologies which are rapidly adopted all over the world and how professionals may benefit from it as major technology companies and startups are embracing these strategies. The Inaugural Summit brought together corporates, entrepreneurs and investors alike, under one roof, to explore technologies like AI or IoT from business point of view. Professionals from various IT/Software cells and techies of various organizations across all strata of industry were invited to the summit. It allowed one to hear from the stalwarts of the industry and get the real picture in India and the World.
Techfest previous editions of summit consisted of panel discussions, workshops and keynote by speakers like Mr. Bob Frankston,[28] Mr.Jeff Demain, Dr. Aloknath De, Mr. Sundara Nagalingam, Mr. Ishwar Parulkar, Mr. Rishi Bhatnagar, Mrs.Vidya Mani, Mr.Kaustubh Nande, Mr. Rafiq Somani, Mr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Mr. Anil Mathur, Mr. Kartik Iyengar, Mr. Parvez Goiporia along with other distinguished scholars. Workshops ware conducted by Microsoft, Intel, Texas Instruments,[29] giving hands-on approach on various applications of AI, IoT etc.
The AI Summit of Techfest 2018–19, held on 14 and 15 Dec 2018, included names like Mudit Jakhar, Vikram Vij, Sohan Maheshwar, Mohammed Saleem, Siddhi Trivedi, Rajesh Sharma, Kapil Garg, Jalaj Thanaki, Pushpak Bhattacharyya, Surya Durbha, Mudit Garg, Aseem. The people discussed the relevance of Artificial Intelligence incorporates and day-to-day life. Hands-on workshops giving a complete experience of the capabilities of AI were also conducted.
The summit of 2019-2020 was held between 3 and 5 January, was attended by names like Atul Tripathy, Atul Jalan, Uptal Chakrab0rty, Rajesh Sharma, Mudit Jakhar and Chetan Murty, the summit discussed points like Smart Mobility, Artificial Intelligence in Industries and Smart Manufacturing.
Techfest’s International Media Summit of 2020-21 was India's leading conference of acclaimed journalists and senior executives from all across the world.[30] At the International Media Summit, topics related to the fields of Journalism and Media were discussed, which are tied closely with technology and help develop a deeper understanding of this rapidly evolving domain. It featured stalwarts of the field like Paul Pringle, Ravish Kumar, Rajdeep Sardesai, Farah Stockman, and Michael Braga.[31]
Techfest 2021-2022 includes the first edition of the Fintech Summit, which primarily focuses on India’s Fintech Revolution, the future of money management, and reviewing banking and financial services post Covid-19. The International Fintech Summit is the ideal meeting place for facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue with power-packed networking opportunities among C-Level executives, leading industry experts, decision-makers, and policymakers from across the value chain to foster collaboration, discuss current challenges and business opportunities, develop market strategies, share knowledge and identify solutions aimed at shaping the future of Fintech. Many Fintech giants were featured like Viral V. Acharya, Abhishek Kothari, Yashish Dahiya, Ruchir Swarup, Ganesh Rengaswamy, Priya Sharma, Arun Kumar, Samy Karim, Rajeev Agrawal, Vaibhav Garg.
[32] Techfest 2022-2023 included International Industry Summit, Techfest Blockchain Summit, Media summit. The International Industry Summit aimed at discussing the trends that are bringing this change and changing the consumer’s perspective to this new way of shopping. Many industrial giants like Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Naveen Munjal, V Kalyana Rama, John Crichton, Abhishek Gupta, PrasunKumar, Sandeep Karwa and Soumya Sarkar were featured. The Techfest Blockchain Summit[33][34] aimed at bringing together some of the world’s leading crypto influencers, policymakers, key government delegates, media, family offices, HNIs and other curated investors, among others, to foster the crypto and blockchain community across the globe. Many blockchain giants were featured like Kunal Sanghavi, Teddy Pahagbia, Shantnoo Saxsena,[35] Pranay Sharma, Mru Patel, Alias Ahonen, Ryan Howells, and Lokesh Rao. Techfest also conducted the Media summit where you navigate the new playbook for Media as you future-ready yourself for the post-pandemic economy. Many Media giants were featured like Avinash Panday, Smriti Mehra, Arpit Jain, Manuja Veerappa.
Workshops
Workshops at Techfest, IIT Bombay play a vital role in connecting students with the latest advancements in technology through hands-on learning experiences. Conducted under the guidance of industry professionals and academicians, these workshops attract a large number of participants due to their high-quality content and practical approach.
Over the years, Techfest has expanded its workshop offerings to include a wide range of emerging technologies. The 25th edition featured workshops on Solarizer, Python Programming, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Automobile Mechanics, Android Development, Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, Web Development, Amazon Web Services, Nanotechnology, Sixth Sense Technology, Embedded Systems, and Deep Learning.
In the 2022-23 edition, workshops covered topics such as Quadcopter building, Ethical Hacking, Machine Learning, Android Development, Gesture Robotics, Game Development, Crypto Trading, Solarizer, Digital Marketing, Sixth Sense Robotics, Automobile Mechanics, Data Analytics, Python, and Artificial Intelligence. These sessions were led by professionals from reputed organizations including Google, Ubisoft, WazirX, Sharedeum, and Fev.
The 2023-24 edition, held from 27 to 29 December 2023, adopted the theme "The Mystical Realm – Where Imagination Meets Reality", offering participants access to various competitions such as Cosmoclench, Meshmerize, Techfest Olympiad, and Codecode, alongside immersive workshops.
The 28th edition in 2024, held from 17 to 19 December, embraced the theme "Sustainnovative Sentience", emphasizing innovation and sustainability. Workshops included Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Digital Marketing, Web Development, Ethical Hacking, Cybersecurity, and Prompt Engineering. These workshops provided certificates, interactive learning sessions, and networking opportunities for participants of all skill levels. The event also featured international Robowars, humanoid robot exhibitions, and keynote lectures from industry experts.
Apart from workshops, Techfest also organizes initiatives like the WinTech Project, aimed at fostering innovation and practical learning among students.
Techfest 2021-22 kick-started a new pan India initiative, namely Virtual Ed-Conclave. This two-day conclave consists of various keynote sessions on different departments followed by Q&A from renowned professors, Deans, and Head of Department from prominent IITs. This event aimed to make freshly JEE qualified students aware of the different departments IITs offer, helping them make an informed decision in choosing their technical stream. With an annual reach of over 50,000, Ed-Conclave[37] helps students all over India to become aware about the whereabouts of various engineering fields and hence make knowledgeable decision for their future.
Prominent speakers at Ed-Conclave include:
Prof. Chebrolu (Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay)
Prof. Arghya Deb (Associate Dean (Infrastructure), IIT Kharagpur and Professor of Civil Engineering)
Prof. Shantanu Roy (Dean of Academics, IIT Delhi and Professor of Chemical Engineering)
Prof. Ravi Kumar NV (Head of the Department, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering at IIT Madras)
Prof. Amit Agrawal (Dean of International Affairs, IIT Bombay and Institute chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
Prof. Ameeya K. Nayak (Associate Professor of Mathematics, IIT Roorkee)
Prof. VC Srivastava (Head of the Department, Chemical Engineering at IIT Roorkee)
Prof. SK Mathur (Associate Professor of Economics at IIT Kanpur)
Prof. Preeti Ranjan Panda (Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Delhi)
Prof. Deepankar Choudhary (Head of the Department, Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay | Organising Vice-Chairman, JEE-Advanced 2015 and Founding Member, JOSAA)
Prof. Sanjeeva Srivastava (Professor of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Bombay)
Prof. Nagarajan R (Head of the Department, Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras)
Prof. Suhas Joshi (Dean Alumni and Corporate Relations, IIT Bombay and Rahul Bajaj Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
Prof. Dipanwita Roy (Head of the Department, Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kharagpur)
Prof. Surjya K Pal (Associate Dean (Alumni Affairs), IIT Kharagpur and Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
Prof. U Bhandarkar(Associate Dean R&D, IIT Bombay and Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
Prof. Anidhya Dutta(Professor at Chemistry Department, IIT Bombay)
Prof. Rajesh Zele (Professor of Electrical Engineering at IIT Bombay)
Prof. Parag Bhargava (Professor of Metallurgy and Material Sciences at IIT Bombay)
Prof. Rajkumar S. Pant (Professor of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Bombay)
Prof. D N Singh (Professor of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay)
Prof. G P Raja Sekhar (Professor of Mathematics and Computing at IIT Kharagpur)
