New Delhi: To strengthen India’s cybersecurity ecosystem, Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC) 1.0 under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) Project of MeitY. The launch event was held at Electronics Niketan, MeitY, New Delhi on 24.11.2025 in the presence of Government officials, industry experts and academia.
Shri S Krishnan unveiled the concept video, website & registration portal, and Rule Book of CSIC 1.0. Emphasizing the need for a two-pronged national cyber security strategy—expanding awareness of emerging threats while strengthening technological capabilities—he highlighted that CSIC 1.0 addresses both imperatives. The initiative exposes students to real-world cyber security challenges, building not only skilled professionals and positioning cyber security as a viable career path, but also catalyzing homegrown, product-oriented solutions that deepen India’s cyber resilience.
Shri Krishnan emphasized that cyber security demands a ‘whole-of-nation’ approach, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘whole-of-government’ strategy. Acknowledging the collaborative presence of MeitY, CERT-In, NSCS, AICTE, C-DAC, DSCI, and leaders from academia and industry, he stressed the importance of nurturing winning ideas beyond the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage, creating pathways for them to evolve into scalable solutions through collaboration with startups and industry partners.
Shri Vinayak Godse, CEO, Data Security Council of India, provided an engaging walkthrough of CSIC 1.0’s five-stage structure and extensive problem statements, developed through months of intense deliberation between DSCI, C-DAC, and the ISEA team. He highlighted that this first-of-its-kind initiative enables students and researchers to innovate and develop entrepreneurial mindsets from the early stages. The focus on domain-specific problem statements ensures practical, deployable solutions for India’s critical sectors—including BFSI, telecom, and healthcare—while the emphasis on diversity support aims to foster a culture of innovation across the student community. He expressed confidence that the challenge will accelerate the journey from research to product development, strengthening India’s cyber security landscape.
Prof V Kamakoti, Director IIT Madras mentioned that the innovation challenge under ISEA Project highlights our enhanced understanding of core challenges and positions us to craft transformative solutions. The ten domain specific problem statements highlight areas which are aligned to the cyber security needs of the nation and require fresh, innovative thinking.
Prof Sukumar Nandi, Sr. Professor, IIT Guwahati highlighted that the launch of the CSIC 1.0 embodies the collective strength of MeitY, C-DAC, DSCI, and 50 institutions participating under the ISEA Project, who worked together to identify, analyse, and curate problem statements for generating innovative solutions to be shaped up by the students.
Shri Narendra Nath, Joint Secretary NSCS pointed out the risks of increasing technological dependence and reaffirmed the need for Atmanirbhar Bharat by strengthening the nation’s technological sovereignty. He praised the steps taken under the ISEA Project and applauded the Innovation Challenge for advancing homegrown capabilities and solutions.
Dr. Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In, highlighted ISEA’s critical role in fostering innovation that shifts the paradigm from reactive defense to proactive security. Dr. Bahl noted that the Innovation Challenge creates a vital platform uniting R&D, academia, and industry, with solutions from academic institutions envisioned to reach the market as deployable products. He stressed that building ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in cyber security has never been more essential, as the nation’s digital transformation demands breakthrough innovations from our own institutions.
CSIC 1.0 is strategically designed to foster indigenous, research-driven cyber security solutions from the academic ecosystem and is open to students and researchers. The Innovation Challenge would focus on problem statements across 10 domains including Computer & Network Security; Mobile Device Security; Systems & Software Security; Hardware Security; Security in Futuristic Technologies; Cryptography; Security in Distributed Wireless Networks; Cyber Forensics; Governance, Operations & Services; and Fintech Security. Through its five-stage structure, it will nurture promising ideas from conception to Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The challenge will promote development of robust cyber security innovation ecosystem by offering dedicated mentorship to top 20 teams through expert-led webinars on technical topics, pitching, along with hands-on mentorship sessions from industry leaders.
Who can participate?
The challenge is open to student and researcher pursuing Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral studies from the academic ecosystem. Applicants must be below 30 years of age at the time of application and should be citizen of India. The challenge welcomes student-led teams, researcher-led or researcher-assisted innovators, and student-led startups that aim to develop cyber security solutions aligned with India’s critical sectors and emerging digital landscape. Participants should demonstrate strong interest in cyber security innovation and commitment to progressing their ideas from concept to Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within the structured five-stage challenge framework, as per specified timelines.
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