IITH first-year BTech students win Excellence Award at TECO contest
Four first-year B.Tech students from IIT Hyderabad won the Excellence Award at the TECO International Contest 2026 in Taiwan. The team was the only Indian finalist among 20 selected from 267 applications and received a Rs 1.5 lakh cash prize
Sangareddy: In a rare achievement for the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), a team of four first-year B.Tech students has won the Excellence Award at the TECO International Contest 2026, an international competition organised by the TECO Technology Foundation and National Taiwan University.
Held in Taiwan, the contest brought together young innovators from across the world and was attended by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te as chief guest.
The IITH team was the only one from India selected among the top 20 finalists from 267 applications received from across the world. The competition provided an international platform for young researchers to present innovative solutions to global challenges, including energy and sustainability.
Representing IITH and India, the team comprised Mahak Gadia and Raqi Mohammad from Industrial Chemistry, Udit Maini from Mechanical Engineering, and Yug Nikesh Gandhi from Engineering Physics. The team was supervised by Dr Ashish Kulkarni, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, and collaborated with Pavakah Energy, a deep-tech startup incubated at iTIC, IITH.
The students demonstrated the formation of perovskite thin films under high-humidity conditions and at 70°C on a 25 sq cm mini-module scale. The technical demonstration was presented before an international jury at National Taiwan University, Taiwan, where the team won the Excellence Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh.
The achievement is particularly notable as the IITH team consisted entirely of first-year undergraduate students, while several other finalist teams were represented by master’s and PhD students. Their selection and success on an international platform highlight the potential of young students when provided with opportunities, mentorship and an environment to pursue ambitious research and innovation early in their academic journey.
The project emerged from the students’ interest in next-generation solar cell technologies and Dr Kulkarni’s vision of establishing the state-of-the-art Semiconductors for Tandems and Applied Research (STAR) Lab in the Department of Chemistry.
IITH Director Prof. B. S. Murty said the achievement was a proud moment for the institute and a testament to the potential of its young students. He said the success of four first-year B.Tech students on an international platform reflected the institute’s emphasis on hands-on learning, interdisciplinary research and innovation from the beginning of a student’s academic journey.
Dr Ashish Kulkarni, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and supervisor of the team, said the accomplishment was particularly remarkable as the four first-year B.Tech students represented IITH and India alongside postgraduate researchers from around the world.
