This year’s semi-finalists represent remarkable geographical diversity, with participants from 15 Indian states, including remote regions such as Cachar (Assam), Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh), Mahabubnagar (Telangana), Durg (Chattisgarh) and Sundargarh (Odisha). The programme continues to champion young changemakers from across the country, enabling them to address real-world challenges through the power of technology and innovation.

The 2025 edition of Solve for Tomorrow invited entries under four key themes:

• AI for a Safer, Smarter, and Inclusive Bharat
• The Future of Health, Hygiene, and Well-being in India
• Social Change through Sports and Technology for Education and Better Futures
• Environmental Sustainability through Technology

The shortlisted ideas reflect the evolving priorities of Indian society—ranging from AI-led tools for air quality monitoring, biodiversity conservation, and clean water access, to smart solutions for food waste and e-waste management. Other innovations include gamified learning for students from underserved communities, personalised coaching apps, and sports-led interventions for children with autism. In the health and research domains, projects span early lung cancer detection and mental wellness tools to simplifying technical research through intelligent data scraping.

“We are excited to announce the Top 40 semi-finalist teams of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025. These young innovators, including those from Tier 2, Tier 3 cities, and remote regions, are using technology to solve real societal challenges. Their ideas reflect the incredible potential of India’s youth to drive meaningful change. As they move into the next phase, we remain committed to supporting them with mentorship, resources, and a platform to turn their ideas into real-world impact for a smarter, more inclusive Bharat,” said SP Chun, Corporate Vice President, Samsung Southwest Asia.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. This year’s approach focused on regional representation, and it is clearly reflected in the range and depth of shortlisted ideas. These young innovators have the potential to shape India’s future start-up ecosystem,” said Dr Nikhil Agrawal, Managing Director, FITT-IIT Delhi.

What Lies Ahead for the Semi-Finalists?

As part of their journey in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025, the top 40 teams will participate in an intensive Innovation Bootcamp, designed to help them turn their ideas into viable prototypes. During this phase, participants will meet and engage with leaders and experts across Samsung R&D and Southwest Asia operations. They will also attend curated training sessions led by industry and government experts at IIT Delhi, gaining hands-on insights into innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. The bootcamp includes structured prototyping support from IIT Delhi mentors and alumni of previous Samsung Solve for Tomorrow editions, ensuring continuity of learning and mentorship. Following the bootcamp, a National Pitch Event will be held where a select Samsung Jury will evaluate and shortlist the final 20 teams who will move forward in the competition.

Awards and Support

• Top 40 Teams – Will be awarded INR 8 lakh, while each team member will get a Samsung laptop
• Top 20 Teams – Will receive INR 20 lakh and the newest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphones
• Four Winning Teams at the Grand Finale – Will receive an incubation grant of INR 1 crore at IIT Delhi to scale their innovations
• Special Awards at the Grand Finale – Goodwill Award, Young Innovator Award, and Social Media Champion, with a combined prize money of INR 4.5 lakh

A Global Vision for Youth Empowerment

Launched in the United States in 2010, Solve for Tomorrow is now active in 68 countries and has engaged over 3 million young people worldwide. The initiative aligns with Samsung Electronics’ global CSR vision – “Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People” – aimed at equipping young people with the education, skills and opportunities to become future-ready leaders.

To explore more about Samsung’s global CSR programmes, visit our [CSR webpage].

Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, has announced the shortlist of 100 teams for its flagship CSR initiative – ‘Solve for Tomorrow’, designed to foster an innovation ecosystem in the country. This shortlist includes 25 teams each from the four themes, who will now compete further in the national education and innovation competition.

This year, participants were encouraged to create solutions across four key themes: AI for a Safer, Smarter, and Inclusive Bharat; Future of Health, Hygiene, and Well-being in India; Social change through Sports and Tech for Education and Better Futures; and Environmental Sustainability via Technology.

This year, the Solve for Tomorrow shortlists have gone hyperlocal, with the programme discovering young innovators from some of India’s most remote districts—including Samastipur in Bihar, Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Baramulla in Jammu & Kashmir, and Cachar in Assam. The reach and resonance of the programme is evident not just in the geographies covered, but also in the ingenuity of the ideas submitted across all four themes.

Under the ‘Future of Health, Hygiene, and Well-being in India’ theme, participants have brought forward unconventional yet deeply rooted solutions that reflect India’s evolving healthcare priorities. From innovations aimed at improving mental health and diagnosing lung cancer to supporting deaf users engaging in real-time conversations, the ideas are both empathetic and tech-forward.

One solution focused on streamlining ambulance tracking to enable faster emergency responses, while another proposed an integrated system to help locate the nearest hospital instantly. These ideas show that the youth are thinking about health in a holistic and inclusive way.

In the ‘AI for a Safer, Smarter, and Inclusive Bharat’ category, submissions pushed the boundaries of what AI can achieve in everyday life. Young innovators explored solutions to problems like ensuring citizen safety through real-time surveillance alerts, enabling reliable access to clean electricity in remote villages, and building AI-powered systems to respond to stray animal emergencies. Another standout idea aimed to simplify data scraping for engineers and students, making technical research more accessible. These projects reflected a sharp understanding of societal gaps and a bold vision for how technology can bridge them.

The ‘Social Change through Sports and Tech for Education and Better Futures’ theme sparked imaginative interventions at the intersection of inclusivity, learning, and digital access. Shortlisted ideas included sports-based development programmes for children with autism, mobile apps that offer personalized coaching, and gamified learning platforms for underserved students. One group envisioned a social network designed specifically to connect gamers across India—encouraging collaboration, creativity, and community-building. These ideas are not just tools—they’re pathways to better futures through engagement and empowerment.

Environmental consciousness was front and centre in the ‘Environmental Sustainability via Technology’ theme. From combatting deforestation and preserving biodiversity to addressing clean water shortages, the shortlisted ideas took on India’s most pressing ecological challenges. Teams also proposed innovative approaches to e-waste recycling, food wastage management in urban restaurants, and tackling air pollution using smart detection and intervention tools. The projects demonstrate a strong resolve among the country’s youth to heal and future-proof the planet, one solution at a time.

From over 20000 applicants, a total of 168 representing the 100 teams will now gear up for the next phase of the ‘Solve For Tomorrow’ competition where they will be equipped with presentation and effective communication skills through expert training and mentoring. This will help them prepare for the regional rounds commencing mid-July.

What’s Next

At this stage, participants will undergo online training led by thematic experts, followed by a video pitch round where 40 teams will be shortlisted – 10 teams from each theme.

The top 10 semi-finalist teams from each theme will then progress to an intensive mentorship programme guided by Samsung’s industry veterans and subject matter experts. These teams will also participate in curated learning visits to Samsung’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the Samsung R&D Institute India in Bengaluru, Noida, and Delhi, as well as Samsung Design Delhi, offering them first-hand exposure to world-class innovation ecosystems.

This phase will culminate in an experiential, hands-on Prototyping Programme at IIT Delhi’s state-of-the-art labs, in collaboration with ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ alumni. There will also be a Residential Bootcamp focused on refining ideas and preparing for the final pitch. The top 20 teams will be finalized after this phase, with five teams from each theme advancing to the grand finale. These top five teams from each theme will receive exclusive one-on-one mentoring sessions with Samsung experts. They will participate in a Prototyping Day, Pitch Presentation, Investor Meet, and Awards Ceremony, all held over the last three days of the competition.

What is in it for the participants

The top 100 teams will receive certificates of achievement. The top 40 teams will receive INR 8 lakh and the latest Samsung laptops for every member. The top 20 will receive with INR 20 lakh and the latest Samsung ZFlip smartphones for each member.

In addition, special awards include the Goodwill Award, Young Innovator Award, and Social Media Champion, with a total prize amount of INR 4.5 lakh.

The four winning teams will collectively receive a grant of INR 1 crore for incubation at IIT Delhi, providing substantial resources to accelerate their innovative projects. This funding aims to nurture their ideas into reality.

First launched in the US in 2010, ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ is currently operational in 68 countries globally and has seen over 3 million young people participate worldwide.

The Global CSR vision of Samsung Electronics – ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’ – is determined to provide education to young people around the world and empower them to become the leaders of tomorrow. Read more stories on Samsung Electronics’ CSR efforts on our CSR webpage https://csr.samsung.com/en-in/localMain.do

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