MSME Idea Hackathon 6.0 — "Frontier Technology in MSMEs: One Pillar, Six Themes" is the latest edition of the Ministry of MSME's flagship innovation hackathon, run under the Incubation Component of the MSME Innovative Scheme.

Aligned with the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat @2047, this edition opens its doors to a broad spectrum of participants — welcoming all Indian citizens aged 18 and above — to harness the country's collective ingenuity, address pressing national challenges and build a future-ready MSME ecosystem.

Selected ideas receive funding support of up to ₹15 lakh per approved idea, channelled through approved Host Institutes (HIs) spread across the country, along with incubation and mentoring support to convert the idea into a working prototype.

One Pillar, Six Themes

The single pillar is Frontier Technology in MSMEs, spanning six themes:

1. Renewable Energy — generation, storage, management and productive use of renewable energy: solar, wind, biomass, biogas, green hydrogen, hybrid systems, battery storage, second-life batteries, renewable-powered machinery and decentralised energy (e.g. solar dryers, cold storage, pumps, process-heating, monitoring tools).
2. Energy Efficiency — affordable solutions that cut energy consumption, cost and process losses in MSME units: energy-monitoring devices, efficient motors and drives, compressed-air leak detection, waste-heat recovery, efficient boilers/furnaces, better refrigeration, process optimisation and power-quality improvement, ideally retrofittable with measurable savings.
3. Automotive Technology — automotive manufacturing, electric mobility and mobility-support: indigenous components, e-motors and controllers, battery- and thermal-management, charging/battery-swapping, vehicle electronics, sensors, lightweight materials, safety and alternative-fuel systems, diagnostics, remanufacturing and end-of-life vehicle recovery.
4. Industry 4.0 and 5.0 — connected, intelligent, human-centric manufacturing using IoT, digital twins, AI, machine vision, cyber-physical systems and smart monitoring: affordable sensors, machine-retrofitting, predictive maintenance, digital work instructions and traceability that modernise operations without replacing existing machinery.
5. Robotics and Automation — affordable, adaptable automation built for MSME scale: pick-and-place, machine-tending, automated inspection, robotic welding/finishing, material handling, autonomous factory vehicles, computer-vision automation, modular controllers, adaptive grippers and retrofit kits — easy to install, safe and simple to program.
6. Other Frontier Technologies — emerging, high-growth sectors not covered above: advanced materials, drones, space technology, defence and dual-use tech, medical devices and electronics, with a focus on indigenous components, import substitution, commercialisation and exports.

Innovation mandate

Every idea should embed innovation across dimensions such as marketing & branding, ideation, technology, co-creation, social innovation, entrepreneurship, open innovation and business-model innovation.

For implementation, the Host Institutions approved for the scheme are supported by the Office of DC-MSME.