ESSENCE 2027
An undergraduate innovation and prototype-development initiative bringing students across Maharashtra together to identify real-world challenges, build practical solutions, and present their innovations to industry and academic leaders.
Key Programme Planning Indicators
Across Maharashtra districts
Undergraduate innovators
Multi-disciplinary solutions
Lab & field-tested models
State showcase finalists
Within ₹22,13,000 proposed budget
From Classroom Concepts to Tangible Impact
In academic institutions across Maharashtra, undergraduate students generate hundreds of brilliant ideas. Yet, the journey from an initial concept to a validated, working prototype often falters due to a lack of prototyping mentorship, fabrication resources, and industry review.
ESSENCE 2027 is Chetana’s institutional response: a structured, supportive ecosystem that takes student innovators through discovery, rigorous design, prototype fabrication, expert evaluation, and live demonstration at a 100-stall state showcase.
Bridging the Classroom Gap
Moving beyond theoretical assignments to build tangible, functional solutions solving real problems faced by Maharashtra’s industries and communities.
Rigorous Prototype Validation
Cultivating engineering discipline through iterative testing, bill of materials optimisation, and user feedback rather than polished slides alone.
State-Wide Student Engagement
Creating an equitable platform uniting undergraduates from Mumbai, Pune, Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Konkan across engineering, commerce, arts, and sciences.
Incubation & Progression Pathway
Connecting promising prototypes with Chetana’s CiEL incubation mentorship, seed validation grants, and institutional ecosystem partners.
7 Approved Innovation Tracks
Designed to address acute industrial, environmental, and civic priorities across Maharashtra. Teams select one primary track for evaluation.
Technology & Digital Innovation
Software, IoT, AI/ML tools, cybersecurity, and connected hardware creating tangible workflow and industrial efficiencies.
Sustainability & Environment
Clean energy solutions, circular waste valorisation, water conservation, and eco-friendly consumer alternatives.
Healthcare & Social Well-being
Preventative wellness tech, assistive devices, maternal and elderly care gadgets, and clinic workflow aids.
Agriculture & Rural Development
Precision farming tools, post-harvest preservation, farm mechanisation, and farmer market linkage solutions.
Education & Accessibility
Inclusive learning aids, STEM experimental kits, neurodiverse curriculum tools, and vocational training hardware.
Business, Commerce & FinTech
Financial inclusion tools, supply chain verification, micro-lending tech, and retail empowerment platforms.
Smart Communities & Civic Problem-Solving
Urban mobility, municipal waste reporting, public safety systems, and participatory governance tools.
Cross-Track & Interdisciplinary Teams
Does your solution intersect multiple tracks (e.g. Agri-FinTech or Clean Energy Healthcare)? Select the primary domain during submission; cross-domain innovations receive dedicated interdisciplinary review.
The Participant Competition Journey
Follow the 8 official milestones: from campus discovery and team formation to prototype fabrication, mentorship bootcamps, and live demonstration at the grand finale.
Discovery & Awareness
Campus outreach across 100+ colleges in Maharashtra to introduce ESSENCE 2027.
Explore competition tracks, review eligibility rules, and form your team.
Registration & Profile Creation
Student registration opens for individuals and teams up to 4 members.
Register your account, complete college details, and invite teammates.
Idea Submission
Submit problem statement, proposed technical solution, and initial prototype plan.
Complete the online idea submission form before the stage closing date.
Screening & Shortlisting
Independent academic and industry evaluators assess all valid submissions.
Monitor your participant dashboard for evaluation outcome announcements.
Mentorship & Prototype Bootcamps
Shortlisted teams receive guidance from seasoned mentors to build their prototypes.
Attend structured masterclasses and work with assigned innovation mentors.
Prototype Submission & Review
Submit working prototype documentation, demonstration videos, and test evidence.
Upload working prototype evidence, test metrics, and presentation deck.
Grand Finale & Prototype Exhibition
50 finalist teams exhibit at the 100-stall Maharashtra Innovation Showcase.
Demonstrate live hardware/software prototypes at your allocated stall.
Awards & Incubation Progression
₹5,00,000 proposed prize pool distribution, citations, and incubation support.
Receive formal awards and explore follow-on incubation opportunities.
Proposed ₹5,00,000 Prize Pool & Opportunities
ESSENCE 2027 recognises engineering rigor and grassroots impact through cash grants, incubation pathways at Chetana’s CiEL, and dedicated exhibition stalls at the State Finale.
ESSENCE 2027 Grand Winner
Conferred on the highest-scoring undergraduate prototype demonstrating exceptional ingenuity, technical execution, and verifiable social or market impact.
- Direct incubation review at Chetana's CiEL
- Dedicated stall in Prime Innovation Row at Grand Finale
- Executive mentorship by veteran startup founders
- Official Trophy and Winner Citations for all team members
First Runner-Up
Awarded to the outstanding team with exemplary engineering, strong validation data, and high scalability potential across Maharashtra.
- Fast-track incubation review access
- Prototype refinement lab vouchers & guidance
- Official Runner-Up Citation & Trophy
Second Runner-Up
Recognising remarkable student creativity and functional execution tackling pressing regional challenges.
- Ecosystem mentorship linkage
- CiEL innovation showcase feature
- Official Commendation Certificate & Plaque
Innovation Track Champions (7 Tracks)
Top-ranked undergraduate innovation in each of the 7 designated competition tracks.
- Track Excellence Certificate & Plaque
- Domain-specific industry mentor pairing
- Dedicated stall at the 100-stall exhibition
Special Jury Awards & Rural Impact Citations
Grants encouraging high-impact grassroots innovations, sustainable materials, and outstanding all-women innovator teams.
- Special Recognition Citations
- Feature in Official ESSENCE 2027 Annual Compendium
Incubation & Startup Progression
Promising prototypes are evaluated for formal incubation at Chetana's CiEL. Selected teams receive fabrication lab access, legal/IP advisory, company incorporation guidance, and direct investor showcase sessions.
Financial Architecture Notice: The ₹5,00,000 proposed prize pool forms part of the overall ₹22,13,000 proposed programme planning budget. Prize allocations represent proposed institutional grants and are subject to final organiser approval.
Approved Prototype Showcase
Explore exemplar student solutions tackling regional challenges across Maharashtra. Displayed with participant consent and official vetting.
Solar-Assisted LoRa Soil Moisture Telemetry for Marathwada Cotton Farms
A low-cost, solar-powered subsurface telemetry probe transmitting soil volumetric moisture and ambient temperature every 15 minutes via LoRaWAN up to 10 km without cellular dependence.
Offline Vernacular Document Validation & Digital Seal for Rural Taluk Offices
Cryptographically signed QR verification engine running locally on edge tablets with zero Internet requirement, allowing instant authentication of caste, income, and land certificates.
Bagasse-Derived Biodegradable Thermal Insulation Panels for Street Vendors
Thermal insulation cooler panels manufactured by compressing agricultural sugarcane bagasse with a natural fungal mycelium binder, fully compostable within 45 days.
Affordable Tactile Pulse Oximetry & Telemetry Pod for Rural Anganwadis
A child-friendly, handheld vital monitor measuring SpO2, heart rate, and temperature with high-contrast tactile keys and audio feedback in Marathi.
Decentralised Real-Time Drainage Flood Warning Pod for Coastal Municipalities
Ultrasonic water-level and flow velocity sensor pods installed inside storm drain manholes, broadcasting SMS alerts to municipal disaster cells and local ward residents.
Planned Expert-Engagement Model
ESSENCE 2027 operates a 4-tier mentorship and evaluation architecture to ensure that every qualifying undergraduate team receives constructive, multi-dimensional feedback.
Academic Research Evaluators
Senior professors and department heads from engineering, sciences, and commerce colleges across Maharashtra assessing problem clarity and scientific validity.
Prototype Technical Mentors
Hands-on embedded systems architects, cloud engineers, and industrial designers conducting rapid prototyping clinics for the 500 bootcamp participants.
Domain Industry Practitioners
Leaders from agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics evaluating supply-chain economics, regional compliance, and grassroots usability.
Incubation & Venture Advisors
Chetana’s CiEL incubation committee and ecosystem investors reviewing the top 50 finalists for prototype commercialisation and seed incubation support.
Transparency Policy: Individual jury rosters, visiting speakers, and institutional mentors are published exclusively upon formal appointment confirmation.
Learn more about the mentorship and bootcamp curriculumEmpower Your College Innovators
Chetana’s CiEL invites undergraduate engineering, arts, science, pharmacy, and commerce institutions across Maharashtra to register as participating college hubs for ESSENCE 2027.
Official Faculty Coordinator Kit
Dedicated orientation webinars and mentorship guides for college faculty.
Institutional Participation Analytics
Tracking reports of student submissions and finalists representing your college.
State Innovation Showcase Feature
Allocated prototype stalls at the 100-stall grand finale for qualifying colleges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Essential information regarding eligibility, team formation, intellectual property rights, and prototype submissions.
Your Idea Could Be the Beginning of Something Bigger.
Join hundreds of student teams across Maharashtra. Turn your problem statement into an engineered prototype with expert mentorship, state citations, and incubation support.