Hyderabad: Looking to leverage its massive innovation capabilities for solving real-life problems faced in rural and urban Telangana, the state govt has launched the Telangana Innovation Startup Challenge (TISC) at the curtain raiser of Invest Telangana Global Summit in New Delhi last week.Applications are open until 30 November 2026. Startups, innovators, researchers and technology companies can apply at tisc.telangana.gov.in . Dates for shortlisting, department reviews and finale will soon announced.Officials said TISC is a great opportunity for young innovators and entrepreneurs to work closely with the government and stand chance to secure contracts. Selected innovations will be given opportunities to compete for securing pilot government projects. This would lead to long term business opportunities in procurement and deployment, subject to evaluation.Startups, innovators, researchers, industry and academic institutions are welcomed to develop scalable solutions in seven challenges as part of the inaugural phase. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy ordered officials to invite innovative solutions in solar-powered irrigation, which is the ‘Lead Challenge’ in TISC.The idea is to develop affordable solar pumps or retrofit kits for deep borewells that are 30% cheaper, with theft-resistant panels and tamper-proof grid metering. The overall objective is to ensure solar-powered irrigation for every farm in the state and reduce the power burden.Other challenges include solutions to ensure safer food in residential hostels, protection of lakes and government land, intelligent pothole detection, needle-free anaemia screening, AI-enabled Telugu reading assessments and satellite-based crop mapping.Selected innovations will get a chance to showcase at the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026 to be held in December in Bharat Future City, where global investors and industry stalwarts will engage.Submissions will be assessed based on problem relevance, innovation uniqueness, technology readiness, team capability, and potential impact on public/industrial sectors. Applicants from all across India and global hubs are welcome to apply for TISC, officials said.The initiative is part of Telangana’s drive to become the world’s AI proving ground, where emerging technologies are built, tested and deployed to deliver measurable public impact. The larger idea is to scale these solutions to the global challenges.TISC will bring together T-Hub, T-Works, WE-Hub, TGIC, RICH, academic and research institutions, startups, investors and industry partners, creating opportunities for collaboration, real-world validation, pilots and potential govt adoption.TISC Challenges:1.Solar-Powered Irrigation for Every Farm (Develop an affordable solar pump or retrofit kit for deep borewells that is 30% cheaper, with theft-resistant panels and tamper-proof grid metering.)2.Safer Food in Residential Hostels (Rapid food-adulteration test kits and AI-enabled kitchen hygiene monitoring systems.)3.Protecting Lakes and Government Land (Satellite-based monitoring systems that detect new encroachments and generate monthly alerts.)4.Potholes, Fixed for Good (Vehicle-mounted cameras for automated pothole mapping and a durable repair mix that survives the monsoon.)5.Needle-Free Anaemia Screening (A handheld haemoglobin meter that Anganwadi workers and ANMs can use.)6.Every Child Reads: Telugu AI Assessment (An AI-enabled Telugu reading assessment that identifies reading levels and recommends personalised practice.)7.Mapping Every Crop, Every Season (Satellite- and app-based crop mapping at survey-number level, ready within weeks of sowing.)ends/
