टीएनएंडएमडी

संदर्भ: टीएनएमडी/एसपी/11 31 जुलाई 2024

विषय: एमओयू संस्थानों के छात्रों के ललए है केथॉन के आयोजन हे तु ददशालनदे श

र्ारतीय मानक ब्यूरो के सर्ी विर्ागों/ क्षेत्रीय कायाभलयों/ शाखा

कायाभलयों/प्रयोगशालाओं से अनुरोध है दक उपरोक्त विषय से सम्बंलधत सलंग्न प्रपत्र का
अनुपालन हे तु अिलोकन करें ।

(कुश शमाभ)
िैज्ञालनक “डी” (टीएनएमडी)

िैज्ञा.ई एिं प्रमुख (टीएनएमडी)

र्ारतीय मानक ब्यूरो के सर्ी विर्ागों/ क्षेत्रीय कायाभलयों/ शाखा कायाभलयों/प्रयोगशालाओं को
पररचाललत (इं ट्रानेट के माध्यम से)

TN&MD
Ref: TNMD/SP/11 31 July 2024
Subject: Guidelines for organizing Hackathon for students of MoUs institutes

All Department at HQs/Regional Offices/Branch Offices/Labs may kindly see the attached
circular on the subject mentioned above for compliance.

(Kush Sharma)
Sc. ‘D’ (TNMD)

Sc. E & Head (TNMD)

Circulated to all Department at HQs/ROs/BOs/Labs (Through Intranet)
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Guidelines for Organizing Hackathon

1. Introduction

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is organizing a Hackathon for participation from student
teams of Institutes who have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BIS.
This event aims at fostering innovation, problem-solving skills, and collaboration among
students by addressing real-world challenges identified by BIS.

2. Objectives

This initiative seeks to strengthen the collaboration between BIS and educational Institutions,
providing a platform for students to engage with BIS officials and industry experts and other
stakeholders of BIS. By promoting standards through practical application, the hackathon not
only highlights the importance of standards in innovation, but also offers students a unique
opportunity to contribute to the development of solutions that align with BIS objectives and
industry needs. The participants are also rewarded with Certificates, and monetary awards.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

3.1 Preparation of Problem Statement

The objective of this phase is to identify and finalize relevant, impactful problem statements
that align with BIS objectives and address real-world challenges. Problem Statement shall be
created focussing on outcomes like developing real-world solutions to various issues faced in
executing various activities or achieving various goals of BIS. This process ensures that
hackathon participants work on meaningful problems with practical applications that contribute
to the enhancement of BIS Activities like Standardization, Conformity Assessment, Testing,
Standards Promotion, Market Survey, etc. Nodal Departments of BIS, desirous of organizing
hackathon for solving their problems, shall develop Problem Statements that are relevant,
challenging, and aligned with BIS's strategic goals. Each problem statement shall be clearly
defined, with specific expected outcomes, solutions and criteria for success.

The Problem Statements shall be documented, including background information, objectives,

expected outcomes, and evaluation criteria. These Problem Statements will then be reviewed
and approved by the Competent Authority, ie., Director General-BIS, to ensure alignment with
activities and objectives of BIS.
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3.1.1 Expected Outcome

During a hackathon, teams work intensively to develop innovative hardware and/or software
solutions that address specific challenges or demonstrate new ideas. The expected outcomes of
the Hackathon are:

i) Hardware solutions involve creating physical devices or systems that leverage

technology to solve problems or enhance functionality. These solutions can range
from developing new gadgets and wearable technology to constructing complex
robotics and embedded systems. The focus is on creating tangible products that can
interact with the environment or users in innovative ways.
ii) Software solutions focus on creating applications and tools that operate on digital
platforms. These include web and mobile applications designed for various
purposes, from facilitating communication to managing data. Software solutions
also encompass artificial intelligence and machine learning tools that perform tasks
like data analysis and pattern recognition, as well as game development projects
aimed at providing infotainment or educational experiences.
iii) Integrated solutions combine both hardware and software to create comprehensive
systems that offer more advanced functionality. These projects involve
synchronizing physical devices with digital platforms, enabling real-time data
analysis, remote control, and automation. Integration enhances the usability and
effectiveness of the solutions, allowing them to address more complex challenges
and provide seamless user experiences.

3.2 Announcement of Problem Statements

The approved Problem Statements shall be announced on BIS Website/Portals with a well-
designed Hackathon webpage for participation of student teams from the Institutions. The
Nodal Officers shall further communicate the announcement of the Problem Statements to the
concerned Institutes. The participants may do brainstorming and research at their end for
effective solutions to the practical situations of Problem Statements floated, as individuals or
as teams.

3.3 Implementation of Software Solutions

The participants shall also be involved in putting the software/application into final use at BIS
subsequent to Final Round of Hackathon, to provide the requisite support, updates and
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upgrades to the software application. This may be included in the problem statements
accordingly. ITSD shall coordinate with the participants during and after the Hackathon for the
same.

4. Eligibility/Registration

Regular students from the Institutions who have entered into MoU with BIS shall be eligible
to participate in the Hackathon as individuals or as teams. Each individual/team may participate
in the Hackathon by registration for one or more Problem Statements through BIS
Website/Hackathon Portal/Page. The individual/team shall obtain an approval from Head of
the Department/Head of the Institution regarding their participation in the BIS Hackathon.
Participants may register only once for participation in multiple Problem Statements.

5. Structure of Hackathon

Hackathon shall comprise of two rounds, Preliminary and Final Rounds which shall be
completed within the prescribe timelines as per these guidelines. The Proposals received in
Preliminary Round within specified timelines are evaluated initially by Screening Panel. The
Final Round shall consist of submission of all the deliverables with detailed project reports
along with a presentation at NITS/suitable Venue. The timelines may vary for various Problem
Statements and shall be communicated along with the Problem Statements.

5.1 Preliminary Round (Ideation):

After the announcement of Problem Statement by BIS and Registration by Participants, the
Preliminary round begins. Each individual/team of students shall thoroughly go through the
Problem Statement announced by BIS. Further, the participants shall work on these Problem
Statements and prepare a proposal for the solution. Each participant can submit only one
proposal per Problem Statement but can submit proposals for multiple Problem Statements.

5.1.1 Submission of Proposals

Submissions will include detailed descriptions of expected solutions, implementation plans,

methodology and any preliminary illustration or prototypes relevant to the problem statements.
The proposals shall be submitted through BIS Portal.

5.1.2 Screening of Proposals

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This process will involve a detailed review of each submission, including technical feasibility,
innovation, impact, and alignment with Problem Statements. Teams will be shortlisted for the
final round based on the quality, impact, and feasibility of their solutions.

5.1.3 Screening Panel(s)

The Proposals submitted by the student teams from the Institutes shall be reviewed by one or
more Screening Panels nominated by DDG(PRT). Each Panel may comprise of the following
members:

i. One BIS Officer of the level Sc E or above - Chairperson

ii. Two BIS Officers of the level Sc C / Sc D
iii. One BIS Officer from ITSD or having good IT knowledge
iv. Members from other relevant organizations/government departments like NIC,
CDAC, MyGov, NCERT etc.

About ten Proposals per Problem Statement shall be shortlisted for further advancement to
Final Round. The proposals may further be scrutinized through joint sitting of the above panels
for uniformity, if felt necessary.

5.2 Support before Final Round

The shortlisted proposals from the participants shall be communicated to the concerned by the
nodal department which has floated the problem statement. These teams shall be guided by the
Nodal department which has issued the problem statement to further improve the submitted
proposals into final deliverables with detailed project reports for final submission.

5.3 Final Round (Prototype)

The primary goal of Final Round is to make prototype of hardware/software or build a

functional version of the hardware/software which is the proposed solution for the Problem
Statement (like working prototype of Test Equipment, for hardware based Problem Statement,
Software/Application/Module for software-based Problem Statement etc.). The
individuals/teams shall submit a fully functional solution to the problem statement ready for
implementation at BIS along with a detailed project report covering aspects like mechanism,
methodology, model, source code, etc. clearly explained through flowcharts, figures, etc. where
necessary.
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The Final round shall also include detailed presentation on the working solution and report
submitted based on which the final scoring will be made. The hardware or software based
solution shall also be demonstrated to the Board of Assessment as the part of final presentation.

5.4 Board of Assessment for Final Round

The participants shall be invited to NITS/suitable venue as scheduled by BIS with Presentation
of work done/project report. The detailed presentations delivered by participants shall be
assessed by Board of Assessment nominated by DG. BIS comprising of the following officials
for final assessment and scoring:

i) One BIS Officer of the level Sc G or above - Chairperson

ii) Two BIS Officers of the level Sc E / Sc F
iii) Head (ITS)
iv) Members from other relevant organizations/government departments like NIC,
CDAC, MyGov, NCERT etc.
v) Official from the Nodal Department which has floated the Problem Statement –
Member Secretary

The criteria for assessment may be based on criteria such as innovation, technical
simplicity/complexity, functionality, and user experience.

BIS may suggest modifications and changes to the working solution/prototype developed and
demonstrated during the final round. The participants shall include, incorporate the suggestions
and modifications subsequent to the final presentation.

6. Rewards

Certificate of participation shall be provided to all the participating teams including those who
participated in Preliminary Round. Teams selected for final round shall be rewarded with cash
prize of Rs. 2 Lakhs per Problem Statement subject to fulfilment of Terms and Conditions (see
Cl. 7).

7. Terms and Conditions

The following conditions shall be adhered to up on by the participants for obtaining reward in
the Hackathon.

i) The participants shall adhere to the specified timelines.

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ii) The participants shall submit all the deliverables in the Final Round along with
prototypes, detailed reports etc to BIS.
iii) Copyrights/Intellectual Property rights related to the material, concept, etc. submitted
through this Hackathon shall be transferred to BIS.
iv) BIS reserves the right to reject any proposal at any stage of the Hackathon.
v) BIS retains all rights, title, and interest in the software/application/hardware, including
all modifications, enhancements, and derivative works created by participant or BIS.
The participant agrees to assign any and all rights, title, and interest in such
modifications to the BIS upon submission.
vi) The solutions shall be original work, innovative and shall not be copied from pre-
existing solutions.
vii) For software related solutions, the use of pre-existing code or projects is not allowed,
except for open-source libraries or frameworks.
viii) The decision of the evaluators at any stage, i.e. Screening Panel and Board of
Assessment will be final decision and no reevaluation shall be entertained.
ix) Participants must adhere to ethical standards and abide by the rules and regulations set
by the organizers. Any form of cheating, plagiarism, or unfair practices will result in
immediate disqualification.
x) Bureau of Indian Standards holds no liability for any damages, losses, or injuries
incurred during the Hackathon. Participants are responsible for their own safety,
equipment, and actions.
xi) Bureau of Indian Standards reserve the right to make changes to the Hackathon
conditions, structure, or rewards at any stage during or after the Hackathon.

8. Timelines

The teams shall get adequate time for brainstorming and research for submission of preliminary
round proposals. The tentative timelines for organizing these rounds for the teams for
preparation of proposals, detailed project report, final deliverables and presentations are as
given below:

• Problem Statement Creation, Approval and Release: 7 days

• Communication to the Institute/participants/Nodal Officers: 7 days
• Preliminary Round Proposals Submission: 30 days
• Shortlisting by Screening Panel: 10 days
• Submission of Detailed Project Reports: 45 days
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The timelines for the Hackathon may be communicated to the participants during the initial
communication of Hackathon and Problem Statement.

9. Travel and Stay arrangements for Screening Committee members and Participants

Travel and stay entitlements for participants who have been shortlisted and attending the Final
Round shall be as per Level 9 as applicable to BIS Employees and that for Screening
Committee member shall be as applicable to Level 12 of BIS Employees.

10. Power to Relax

Where Director General, BIS is of the opinion that it is necessary or expedient so to do, he/ she
may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, relax any of the provisions of these guidelines in
respect of any class or category of persons.

11. Saving

Nothing in these guidelines shall affect implementation of BIS Act, 2016 and BIS Rules, 2018
as amended from time to time.