KIIT Deemed to be University in Bhubaneswar hosted the 'Smart India Hackathon – 2023 (SIH-2023)' with the theme 'HACKTEST-2023.' The aim was to offer students a platform to cultivate a culture of product innovation and problem-solving, aligning with the SIH guidelines. As a crucial step in this endeavour, the university conducted a 'HACKTEST' centred around the themes of SIH-2023, drawing participation from 194 teams consisting of 1164 students during the ideation stage.

Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT & KISS, expressed his delight at the enthusiastic student participation in the event. He stated, 'KIIT takes immense pride in its involvement in SIH-2023, as it contributes to strengthening our students' culture of product innovation and problem-solving skills. KIIT has consistently ranked as a leading innovative institution in India, and initiatives like these align with the 'Best Practices' that KIIT has upheld since its inception. KIIT has notably secured the No. 1 position among private higher education institutions in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), Ministry of Education, GoI, over the past few years.

Prof. Samanta extended his gratitude to Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE; Dr. Abhay Jere, Vice Chairman, AICTE; and the dedicated members of the Ministry of Education (MoE) Innovation Cell for their leadership in driving this initiative from concept to execution. He offered his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all the students who have advanced to the next stage of SIH - 2023.

Prof. Saranjit Singh, Pro-Vice Chancellor of KIIT-DU, extended his congratulations to all the teams qualifying for the next round of SIH-2023. He expressed his gratitude towards Prof. Abhishek Ray, Dean (Industry Engagement) and the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the event, for ensuring the event's seamless execution. Prof. Singh also thanked the Ministry of Education (MoE) for providing KIIT-DU students with the opportunity to showcase their talents in product innovation and problem-solving.

Prof. J. R. Mohanty, Registrar of KIIT-DU, expressed his delight at the enthusiastic participation of KIITians and appreciated the efforts of AICTE, MoE, and I4C in offering a real-time platform for students to enhance their problem-solving skills. Prof. Abhishek Ray conveyed his sincere regards to all the faculty members who served as judges for the event, as well as the student team from KIIT e-Cell for their successful coordination of the event.