IIT Ropar's ANNAM.AI, Syngenta and Google Launch HACK CORE 2026 National AI Hackathon for Agriculture

New Delhi, June 29, 2026: ANNAM.AI, India's first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture, hosted at IIT Ropar under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has launched HACK CORE 2026 — a national AI hackathon developed in collaboration with Syngenta and Google. The initiative invites innovators to build AI-driven solutions addressing crop health, pest management, soil intelligence, climate-resilient farming, and the wider adoption of biological products across India.

The hackathon is open to students, researchers, developers, startups, and innovators from across the country. Applications are currently open and will close on July 21, 2026. Interested participants can register and access challenge details at https://www.annam.ai/hack-core.

A highlight of HACK CORE 2026 is its intensive 36-hour Build Sprint, to be held at IIT Ropar, where shortlisted teams will collaborate alongside researchers, industry experts, and educators to develop working prototypes. The sprint is designed to produce scalable solutions with practical, on-ground impact for farmers.

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Winners stand to receive meaningful rewards: the top team will earn a visit to Syngenta's Research Centre in Atessa, Italy, gaining direct exposure to cutting-edge biological research facilities. Winning teams will also receive Google Cloud credits, providing access to Google's cloud infrastructure, data, AI, and software tools. Beyond prizes, all participants will benefit from expert mentorship and knowledge exchange with agronomy specialists from ANNAM.AI and Syngenta.

Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh, Project Director, ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar, said: "As agriculture is now moving to more sustainable and climate-resilient practices, biological products are emerging as a key alternative to traditional crop protection solutions. By harnessing AI-tech, we innovators have an opportunity to help farmers improve productivity while enhancing environmental sustainability. By partnering with the world's leading agricultural innovation company, Syngenta, HACK CORE 2026 brings together India's brightest innovators to build practical, technology-led solutions that can help solve some of the most pressing challenges faced by farmers today."

The initiative is broadly aligned with the Government of India's vision of leveraging technology to modernise the agriculture sector and improve farmer livelihoods. Organisers say HACK CORE 2026 is designed to foster AI-backed innovations that enable smarter decision-making, improved productivity, and more sustainable farming practices nationwide.