ASEAN-India Hackathon shows collaboration and not competition is the need of the hour to find solutions to problems facing the world

• The ASEAN-INDIA Hackathon from 1-4 February 2021 was a 36 hours Hackathon which offered unique opportunities to all 10 ASEAN countries and India to forward their economic development through collaboration in education, science and technology, exchange of thoughtful leadership, work and collaboration on projects.
• Participating countries did not compete against each other but collaborated, which means, each team had participants from different countries working together during the Hackathon.
• Some of the areas of the Hackathon included blue economy, agriculture, tourism, health care and medical devices, environment, education, water and smart cities and campuses (involving energy, transportation, security)
• For 36 hrs, 330 students and 110 mentors from the 10 ASEAN countries and India worked together online and competed as 55 teams to come up with innovative solutions to 11 problem statements.

The ASEAN-India Hackathon was organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs from 1-4 February 2021. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) implemented this important initiative with the support of nodal agencies from all ten ASEAN countries, which included their Education Ministries and prominent universities. The Hackathon emanates from Prime Ministers’ announcement at the 16th ASEAN-India Summit in Bangkok in November 2019.

The ASEAN-INDIA Hackathon, an initiative of Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi, was a 36 hours Hackathon which offered unique opportunities to all 10 ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam) and India to forward their economic development through collaboration in education, science and technology, exchange of thoughtful leadership, work and collaboration on projects involving varied skilled individuals to develop cross country bonds and learn from each other’s strengths and also get acquainted with each other’s culture, values and work ethics.

Participating countries did not compete against each other but collaborated, which means, each team had participants from different countries working together during the Hackathon. List of problem statements for the ASEAN-India Hackathon was decided in consultation with ASEAN countries. Some of the areas of the Hackathon included blue economy, agriculture, tourism, health care and medical devices, environment, education, water and smart cities and campuses (involving energy, transportation, security)

The Hackathon was inaugurated by Minister of Education Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ along with other dignitaries from ASEAN and India on 1 February. For 36 hrs, 330 students and 110 mentors from the 10 ASEAN countries and India worked together online and competed as 55 teams to come up with innovative solutions to 11 problem statements. The Problem Statements covered two major themes – Blue Economy and Education. The multinational character of each team was meant to forge collaborative spirit, exposing the participants to get acquainted with diverse cultures, values and work ethics.

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister of Education Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ attended the Prize Distribution Ceremony on 4 February and commended the hard work, team spirit, and creativity of the participants. Speaking at the Ceremony, External Affairs Minister stated that ASEAN-India Youth Cooperation is a key component of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and the Hackathon complements India’s other youth centric initiatives for ASEAN. He underlined the importance of ‘Blue Economy’ and ‘Education’ in ASEAN-India engagement and commended their inclusion as the two themes of the Hackathon.

Reflecting the shared desire to promote ASEAN-India youth cooperation, the Prize Distribution Ceremony from ASEAN side was attended by Senior Ministers from Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Winners in all 11 problem statements were announced on the occasion.