-APS Noorpuri
CHANDIGARH: Plaksha University, in collaboration with the Mphasis F1 Foundation, hosted the TrackShift Innovation Challenge at the Plaksha University Campus. The two-day national-level innovation challenge brought together over 150 students from 50 teams across India to co-create open-source, industry-ready solutions inspired by motorsport’s precision, data-led problem solving, and engineering excellence.
The initiative, inspired by Mphasis, official Digital Partner of the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, was aimed at students from STEM backgrounds to apply emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, data science, and simulation to solve real-world challenges across mobility, infrastructure, and manufacturing. The resulting solutions will be made open source to foster collaboration between academia, research institutions, startups, and industry, ensuring that technology remains accessible and equitable.
“This collaboration exemplifies our vision of applied, experiential education where students move beyond ideation to implementation. Through our partnership with Mphasis F1 Foundation, we are creating a living repository of applied innovation that is scalable and inclusive,” said Prof Rudra Pratap, Vice Chancellor of Plaksha University.
The challenge received over 1,800 applications nationwide, from institutions including IITs, NITs, IIIT-Hyderabad, BITS Pilani, and several regional and tier-3 colleges. Fifty teams were shortlisted to compete in the final round at Plaksha University, working on three real-world problem statements:
” Visual Difference Engine – Detects and interprets small changes in images taken over time.
” Smart File Transfer System – Enable fast, secure file sharing even in low-connectivity environments.
” Competitive Mobility Simulator – Create a real-time simulator for vehicle movement and racing scenarios.
The top three winning teams received cash prizes of Rs. 1,00,000, Rs. 50,000, and Rs. 25,000, respectively, along with mentorship-based internships at Mphasis.
