IIT Ropar’s ANNAM.AI, Syngenta and Google Launch National AI Hackathon to Drive Smart Farming Innovation
‘HACK CORE 2026’ Invites Students, Researchers and Startups to Develop AI Solutions for Indian Agriculture
New Delhi, June 29: In a significant push towards technology-driven agriculture, ANNAM.AI, India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture hosted at IIT Ropar under the Ministry of Education, has launched HACK CORE 2026, a national Artificial Intelligence (AI) hackathon in collaboration with Syngenta and Google.
The initiative aims to bring together India’s brightest minds to develop AI-powered solutions for some of the country’s most pressing agricultural challenges, including crop health monitoring, pest management, soil intelligence, climate-resilient farming and the adoption of biological crop protection products.
Building the Future of Indian Agriculture
HACK CORE 2026 seeks to bridge innovation with real-world agricultural applications by providing students, researchers, developers, startups and young innovators with an opportunity to transform their ideas into practical solutions that can directly benefit farmers across India.
Participants will work on cutting-edge technologies capable of improving farm productivity, enabling data-driven decision-making and promoting environmentally sustainable farming practices.
International Exposure for Winners
The winning team will receive an opportunity to visit Syngenta’s Global Research Centre in Atessa, Italy, where they will gain first-hand exposure to advanced biological research facilities and next-generation agricultural technologies.
In addition, winning teams will receive Google Cloud credits, enabling them to leverage Google’s cloud infrastructure, AI tools, computing resources and software platforms to further develop their innovations.
Participants will also benefit from expert mentoring, field research opportunities and technical guidance from scientists, agronomy specialists and AI experts from ANNAM.AI and Syngenta.
Registration Open Till July 21
The hackathon is open to:
- Students
- Researchers
- Software developers
- Startups
- Early-career technologists
- Agricultural innovators from across India
Interested participants can register and access detailed challenge information through the official ANNAM.AI portal. Applications will remain open until July 21, 2026.
36-Hour Innovation Sprint at IIT Ropar
One of the major highlights of HACK CORE 2026 is its 36-hour Build Sprint, which will be hosted at IIT Ropar.
Shortlisted teams will collaborate with researchers, educators and industry experts to convert their ideas into working prototypes capable of addressing real-world agricultural challenges.
The intensive innovation sprint is designed to produce scalable AI solutions that can be deployed on the ground to improve farming efficiency and sustainability.
AI and Biological Agriculture
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh, Project Director of ANNAM.AI at IIT Ropar, said agriculture is rapidly transitioning towards sustainable and climate-resilient practices, making biological products an increasingly important alternative to conventional crop protection methods.
He said AI technologies offer tremendous opportunities to help farmers enhance productivity while ensuring environmental sustainability.
According to him, the collaboration with Syngenta brings together leading agricultural expertise and India’s innovation ecosystem to develop practical technology-driven solutions for farmers.
Supporting India’s Digital Agriculture Vision
The organisers said HACK CORE 2026 aligns with the Government of India’s vision of promoting digital agriculture through emerging technologies.
The initiative aims to accelerate AI-enabled innovations that support smarter farming decisions, improve productivity, strengthen climate resilience and enhance farmers’ livelihoods across the country.
About ANNAM.AI
ANNAM.AI (Alliance for Next-Gen Nourishment through Agriculture Modernization) is India’s first Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture, established at IIT Ropar under the Ministry of Education’s National AI Mission.
The Centre focuses on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), remote sensing, weather intelligence and advanced analytics to improve agricultural productivity, sustainability and climate resilience. Through collaboration with academia, industry and policymakers, ANNAM.AI is developing scalable digital solutions aimed at transforming Indian agriculture.
— IBG NEWS
