GIFT City, IIT Gandhinagar to Organise FutureLab Grand Challenge 2026–27

Gandhinagar: GIFT City, in association with the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), is going to organise the GIFT FutureLab Grand Challenge 2026–27 as a precursor to the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027. The national-level innovation competition aims to identify promising technology and research ideas with practical applications in the financial services sector and the GIFT City ecosystem, a press release said.

The challenge will primarily target students and researchers from technical, management and other higher-education institutions across India. Participants can apply individually or in teams. The competition will focus on original, technically sound ideas with a clear pathway to practical application, rather than restricting entries to predefined technology categories.

Indicative areas include intelligent and autonomous financial systems, digital assets and programmable finance, quantum-ready financial infrastructure, cybersecurity, fraud and risk management, regulatory technology and next-generation financial infrastructure, among other emerging technologies relevant to financial services and GIFT City.

Applications are open until November 12, 2026. The initial application and evaluation process will be conducted online. Entries will be assessed on novelty, technical merit, relevance to the financial sector, feasibility, potential impact and commercialisation potential.

Approximately 10–12 shortlisted teams will be invited to IIT Gandhinagar for an offline Grand Finale, where they will present their innovations before a jury comprising experts from academia, technology, financial services, industry and the GIFT City ecosystem. The finale is proposed to be held by December 20, 2026.

GIFT City will also make efforts to facilitate interactions between selected teams and banks, financial institutions, fintech companies and other relevant ecosystem partners. Depending on the relevance of innovations and stakeholder interest, these interactions could lead to validation, pilot deployment, research collaboration or commercialisation opportunities. The top three teams may also get an opportunity to showcase their innovations at a suitable GIFT City or Vibrant Gujarat platform in January 2027, the press release added. DeshGujarat