Patna: The second edition of the IIChE-TI Hackathon, ChEMATHON 2026, began on Friday at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna, bringing together students, researchers and young engineers to work on innovative solutions to real world engineering problems. The three day event aims to promote creativity, collaboration and practical problem solving among emerging engineers.
The hackathon is jointly organised by the IIChE Patna Regional Centre, IIT Patna and the student chapter of MIT Muzaffarpur. The event is being supported by the Indian Chemical Society and the IIChE Training Institute. Organisers said the initiative is designed to create a collaborative platform where young innovators can develop solutions to industrial and societal challenges.
The programme began with a traditional lamp lighting ceremony attended by several senior academics and industry leaders. The inaugural session was graced by chief guest Vijay Goyal, regional executive director East-I at NTPC Limited in Patna, and guest of honour Anup K Samantaray, executive director and state head at IOCL Patna.
Other dignitaries present at the event included Prof C Karthikeyan, president of IIChE; Prof A K Thakur, dean administration and registrar at IIT Patna; Dr Avijit Ghosh, director of IIChE-TI; Dr Sujoy Kumar Samanta, chairman of IIChE Patna Regional Centre and convener of the event; and Dr Mahendra Ram, head of the chemical and biochemical engineering department at IIT Patna and co-convener.
Addressing the participants, Goyal highlighted the growing importance of chemical engineering in industrial growth and technological development. Samantaray stressed the need for sustainable development practices and stronger collaboration between academia and industry to tackle emerging global challenges.
Following the inaugural session, participants began working on technical challenges, idea generation tasks and collaborative problem solving activities. These sessions will continue over the next three days as teams work to develop innovative and practical solutions to real world problems.
