As digital platforms continue to transform the way Indians access everyday services, young innovators are increasingly exploring how emerging technologies can create more seamless, efficient and user-centric experiences. At Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s Design Thinking Workshop held at New Era School, Ghaziabad, students examined how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help shape the future of India’s rapidly growing digital delivery ecosystem.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is Samsung India’s flagship education and innovation programme designed to empower the country’s next generation of innovators to build technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges. Open to youth aged 14–22, the initiative encourages participants to transform ideas into impactful innovations across four themes: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Health & Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Sport-Tech.

More than 300 students participated in the workshop, where they were introduced to Samsung’s Design Thinking methodology — a human-centred approach that encourages participants to deeply understand user needs before developing solutions.

Among the participants were science students Disha Garg and Rashi Sharma, who chose to explore opportunities within the evolving digital delivery ecosystem. Rather than beginning with a predefined solution, the duo focused on understanding the experiences of customers, delivery partners and service providers to identify areas where technology could further enhance convenience, transparency and user experience.

Using insights gathered through empathy mapping, stakeholder analysis and problem-definition exercises, they conceptualized an AI-enabled application designed to facilitate better information flow and decision-making across different stages of the delivery journey.

“Through Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, we learned to look at people before looking at technology. The Design Thinking Workshop helped us understand how innovation starts with identifying real needs and understanding different perspectives,” said Disha Garg, a student at New Era School, Ghaziabad.

“The workshop challenged us to validate every idea through user insights. It showed us how AI can be applied thoughtfully to improve everyday experiences and create meaningful impact,” added Rashi Sharma.

As Samsung marks 30 years in India, the company is significantly expanding the scale of Solve for Tomorrow 2026. Through Design Thinking Workshops being conducted across 100 cities spanning Bharat, Samsung is equipping thousands of young people with the skills to identify grassroots challenges, develop human-centred solutions and transform ideas into scalable innovations. The initiative reflects Samsung’s belief that the next wave of innovation can emerge from every corner of the country.

The programme will culminate with the top four winning teams receiving incubation grants worth INR 2 crore, helping them further develop and scale their ideas. Participants will also receive mentorship, training, prototyping support and exposure to India’s broader startup and innovation ecosystem.

By bringing Design Thinking directly into classrooms and campuses, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow continues to inspire young Indians to transform observations into opportunities and ideas into impactful solutions.

Applications for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 remain open until July 3, 2026, for youth aged 14–22 who are ready to build solutions that address real-world challenges through innovation and technology.

For more information and to apply, visit: www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, Samsung India’s flagship innovation and education programme, brought its Design Thinking Workshop to ODM International, Gurugram, engaging 193 students and encouraging them to identify grassroots challenges and develop technology-led solutions with real societal impact.

The workshop forms part of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s nationwide outreach across 100 cities, aimed at nurturing a culture of innovation among young people aged 14–22 and empowering them to solve challenges in areas such as AI, health, education, sustainability and sports technology.

Among the ideas that emerged during the session was a project focused on improving access to sports for young people. Students highlighted how the high cost of quality equipment and coaching often prevents talented individuals from pursuing sports seriously, despite Haryana’s reputation as one of India’s leading sporting states.

“On arrival at the workshop, all I had was a hunch that something was broken about who gets to play and who gets left behind,” said Harsh Gupta, a Class 12 student at ODM International. “The Design Thinking framework helped us understand the real barriers people face and convert those observations into a clear problem statement.”

Moksh Yadav, a Class 11 student, added, “The workshop helped us transform broad ideas into a practical solution. We are exploring an affordable model that combines access to sports equipment with a digital training platform so that more young people can participate, regardless of their financial background.”

The Design Thinking Workshop introduces students to human-centred innovation methodologies, helping them move beyond identifying problems to developing scalable, technology-driven solutions. Through hands-on exercises and collaborative learning, participants learn how to empathise with users, define challenges and build actionable solutions.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is designed to create a grassroots innovation pipeline by enabling young people to address challenges that matter to their communities. Over the years, the programme has supported thousands of students across India in transforming ideas into impactful innovations.

Applications for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 are open until July 3, 2026. The programme offers participants access to training, mentorship, prototyping support and innovation workshops. The top four winning teams will receive incubation grants worth INR 2 crore at FITT, IIT Delhi, along with expert mentorship and support to further develop their solutions.

As Samsung expands the programme across India, workshops such as the one in Gurugram continue to demonstrate how innovation often begins with a simple observation about a local problem—and the determination to solve it.

Most student innovations begin with a solution. Few begin with a problem. Across engineering colleges, students often spend months building sophisticated prototypes only to discover that the problem they set out to solve either does not exist, affects very few people, or lacks real-world relevance. It is a gap that has quietly limited the potential of countless promising ideas. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is attempting to change that.

As part of its flagship nationwide innovation programme, Samsung India, in collaboration with IIT Delhi, recently hosted a Design Thinking Workshop at the GNIOT Group of Institutions in Greater Noida, bringing together aspiring innovators from across Uttar Pradesh to learn one of entrepreneurship’s most critical lessons: understanding a problem comes before building a solution.

The workshop formed part of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026, a national programme that encourages young Indians aged 14 to 22 to develop technology-led solutions addressing challenges in areas such as artificial intelligence, health and education, environmental sustainability, and sport and technology. Rather than focusing on coding, engineering or product development, the session challenged participants to question assumptions, engage with users, validate ideas and understand whether the problems they hoped to solve genuinely existed outside the classroom.

For many students, the experience represented a shift in perspective. “We often assume an idea is good simply because it sounds innovative,” said Kabir Singh, a third-year student at GNIOT. “The workshop helped us understand how implementation, feasibility and user needs are just as important as the idea itself.”

Ravi Kushwaha, a second-year student, described the workshop as an exercise in rethinking innovation from the ground up. “It helped me understand how to identify real-world challenges and validate whether a problem actually exists before attempting to solve it,” he said. The workshop reflects a broader shift underway within India’s innovation ecosystem. As the country seeks to build a pipeline of entrepreneurs and problem-solvers beyond traditional startup hubs, programmes are increasingly focusing on human-centred design, critical thinking and grassroots problem identification alongside technical skills.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow has emerged as one such platform, helping young innovators move beyond concepts and develop solutions with measurable social impact. The 2026 edition marks the programme’s largest expansion to date, with Design Thinking Workshops being conducted across 100 cities nationwide. Participants receive access to training, mentorship, prototyping support and industry guidance designed to help transform early-stage ideas into viable innovations.

The programme will culminate with the top four winning teams receiving incubation grants worth INR 2 crore at IIT Delhi, enabling them to further develop and scale their solutions.

As India’s innovation ambitions continue to grow, initiatives such as Samsung Solve for Tomorrow are helping ensure that the next generation of innovators focuses not only on building technology, but on solving the problems that matter most.

Applications for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 remain open until July 3, 2026.

What if defence personnel stationed in remote locations could carry a lightweight device that instantly purifies drinking water? What if women could discreetly trigger an SOS alert through a wearable ring during emergencies? What if healthy snacks were designed specifically to support women managing PCOD?

These are among the innovative ideas emerging from Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Design Thinking Workshops being conducted across Delhi NCR as part of Samsung’s flagship innovation and education programme.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is Samsung India’s flagship innovation programme designed to empower the country’s next generation of innovators to build technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges. Open to young people aged 14-22 years, it encourages participants to identify societal problems and develop solutions across themes such as AI, health and education, environmental sustainability, and sport and tech.

At Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), students drew inspiration from challenges faced by communities around them. Their ideas ranged from a portable water purification solution for defence personnel operating in remote areas and nutritious snack options tailored for women with PCOD, to a wearable safety accessory capable of sending emergency alerts and child-friendly, non-toxic makeup products designed specifically for young users.

“The workshop helped us understand that innovation starts with identifying real problems faced by people around us. It gave us a structured approach to develop ideas that can make a meaningful difference,” said Gauri Sharma, a B.Pharma student at Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU).

Students at Amity International School also explored how empathy, creativity and problem-solving can come together to address societal challenges and improve everyday lives.

“The Design Thinking process encouraged us to look at problems differently and think about practical solutions that can positively impact communities. It showed us how ideas can be developed into solutions that address real-world challenges,” said Sudarsh Kothari, a student at Amity International School.

As part of the 2026 edition, Samsung has significantly expanded the programme’s scale, with Design Thinking Workshops being conducted across 100 cities nationwide. The programme will culminate with the top four winning teams receiving incubation grants worth INR 2 crore at IIT Delhi, enabling them to further develop and scale their innovations. In addition, participants will benefit from mentorship, training, prototyping support and exposure to India’s innovation ecosystem.

By bringing Design Thinking directly into classrooms and campuses, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow continues to inspire young Indians to transform bold ideas into meaningful solutions for their communities and beyond.

Applications remain open until July 3, 2026, for students aged 14 to 22 ready to turn their insights into impactful realities. https://www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow

They are not finished products yet, neither their prototypes nor their journeys. As part of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, challenges have not ceased for the Top 40 innovators. These young changemakers are still building, modifying, expanding, testing, and sometimes discarding ideas altogether. What they are discovering, however, may be as relevant and important as the innovations themselves: that design thinking is not just a toolkit but a mindset that demands empathy, patience, and an openness to failure.

Over the past week, participants were on a frenetic pursuit for perfection in ideas guided by mentors, workshops, and their first exposure to the FITT labs.

In an AI-driven world where speed and automation dominate the public discourse, these students are being reminded that the true test of technology is whether it can connect to the human heart and the human behaviour.

Sitting With the Problem

In this context, it will be pertinent to speak about the story of the Pink Brigadiers. A team comprising of Vivek Sawant from Maharashtra and Shriya Aditya Dalai from Odisha, both NIT Rourkela engineering students. What are they doing this year? They are working on what they call Bharat’s first AI-driven breast care app. At first glance, it’s a technical marvel: convolutional neural networks with edge deployment that can detect anomalies and connect women with doctors. But the breakthrough, they admit, has not been in the code.

“Our product requires immense sensitivity. The design thinking training encouraged us to sit with the problem longer, understand users more deeply, and keep adapting to their needs. UX/UI and trust are as important as the AI itself,” they explain.

For them, design thinking is a reminder that how an app makes someone feel may be as critical as what it does. Building technology for a deeply private health concern means that tone, colour palettes, language, and interface all become questions of empathy. This insight resonates with recent Stanford research showing that building fair and trustworthy AI systems requires attention not only to algorithms but also to transparency, edge-case behaviour, and user comfort.

Humanising AI

Elsewhere, inside the FITT lab there is a duo trying to grasp the lesson on AI from their product – How can AI provide intelligence, and how can design thinking make it intelligible.

Take Mindsnap, a personalised education platform created by Devayanee Gupta and Sayan Adhikary from Kolkata, both engineering students. Powered by large language models (LLMs), the platform adapts to neurodiverse learners, whether they are dyslexic, on the spectrum, or simply learn better through games.

“We realised no algorithm works if the interface doesn’t speak to the learner,” they explain. “Design thinking made us focus on UX/UI, accessibility, and the lived experience of students.”

Aditya Verma from Chennai is making a similar discovery with Mama Saheli AI, a holistic pregnancy app inspired by his mother’s experience in remote areas where medical access was limited.

“My app had to feel like a friend, not just a tool. Design thinking pushed me to see it through the user’s emotions, behaviour, and even cultural context. That’s what makes it scalable and trustworthy,” he says.

His app synthesises information, filters out misinformation, and integrates with wearables to provide hyperpersonalized insights, but its soul lies in the idea of companionship. His approach aligns with the PADTHAI-MM framework, which shows that transparent, human-centred design, combining explainability with user context, produces far more trust than opaque “black box” AI.

Design as a Strategy for Scale

The Prithvirakshak team from Ludhiana: 12th graders Abhishek Dhanda, Prabhkirat Singh, and Rachita Chandok are fighting India’s colossal waste management problem with what they call the nation’s first modular automated vermicomposting centre.

The idea began as a classroom experiment, it has now become a three-year journey of prototyping, testing, and learning how to collapse a 90-day composting process into just 30 days.

“Traditionally, vermicomposting has been labour-intensive and hard to scale,” they explain. “Design thinking helped us imagine modular models that can work in a garden, a housing society, or even at city level.”

For them, scalability is not about size but about adaptability, the ability to shape the same core idea to serve farmers, urban families, or municipalities.

The Journey, Not the Destination

None of these teams know if they will eventually win the Solve for Tomorrow challenge. Their prototypes remain imperfect; their pitch decks are still being rewritten. Yet what binds them together is a recognition that design thinking has already amended their approach.

While global conversations around AI often spiral into questions of ethics, bias, and speed, these young problem-solvers are grounding their innovations in something older and steadier: human-centred design.

AI, they are discovering, may be the brain. But design thinking, in all its humility and discipline, is the heart. And as these students continue to fight for their place in the Top 20, that may turn out to be the most important lesson of all.

Solve for Tomorrow 2025: Nudging young minds to see problems as opportunities and innovation as a way of life

A quiet revolution is underway. With Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Season 4 in full swing, India’s youth is rising to the challenge with ideas that aim to transform lives, communities, and the country.

After a successful launch earlier this year, the programme has now entered a dynamic phase: Design Thinking Workshops for school students and Open House sessions for college innovators. These events are not just about learning, they are about sparking a mindset shift, nudging young minds to see problems as opportunities and innovation as a way of life.

With roadshows already underway in nine cities – New Delhi, Gurugram, Jaipur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ranchi and Sonepat, the excitement is palpable. Thousands of students from 20 schools and colleges have participated so far. And this is just the beginning. Samsung plans to take this initiative to every corner of India, including the North East.

“Solve for Tomorrow is important because it gives students the tools and mindset to identify real problems around them and create practical, innovative solutions, something traditional classrooms often miss,” said Dr. Ashish Dwivedi, a faculty member at O.P. Jindal Global University, which recently hosted a Design Thinking Open House.

At the university, curious students spent the day immersed in the design thinking process. The energy in the room was electric. Ideas were born, problems dissected, and visions shared. The students emerged inspired, transformed, and ready to take on the world.

“It helped turn a vague idea into a clearer, actionable solution,” said Aditya Naresh, a student at O.P. Jindal Global University.

Similarly, another student, Riddhima Sharma said that she learnt how to work in a team and listen to different perspectives while solving a problem.

In schools, the Design Thinking Workshops from Samsung left an equally indelible mark.

Young minds at work during a Design Thinking Workshop at a school

“The workshop conducted by Samsung and FITT-IIT Delhi has been really insightful,” said Surbhi, a teacher at ITL Public School, Delhi. “Many students from the first batch have already approached me for help with the application process.”

At Mother’s Mary School in Delhi, the girls of Classes 9 and 10 are dreaming big.

Aanya, for instance, wants to build an AI-powered app to help design sustainable homes, while Kritika is working on an eco-friendly Kindle to replace school textbooks. Interestingly, Kriti, a Class 12 student, is exploring safer menstrual products to prevent cervical cancer, all under Solve for Tomorrow’s key themes.

The passion to solve and lead, is just about as fierce among college students.

“There are many problems in the world but very few solvers,” said R. Deepika, a Business Analytics student at University of Hyderabad. “This workshop made me want to be one of them.”

“It’s helped me figure out how to build a startup and chalk out my ideas better,” said Sawan Kesari from the BA programme at University of Hyderabad. “I want to improve diagnostic services in rural India through telemedicine.”

With roadshows already underway in nine cities, the excitement is palpable as students queue up to apply for Solve for Tomorrow 2025

The clarity and purpose with which these students are identifying community problems is nothing short of inspiring. Whether it’s Aditya’s mission to make clean drinking water accessible in rural areas, Riddhima’s drive to tackle plastic waste, Prerna’s dream of assistive devices for visually impaired students, every idea echoes the larger purpose of Solve for Tomorrow, to empower the next generation of changemakers.

“Our students are eager to connect with mentors and experts through Solve for Tomorrow to bring their ideas to life.” said Poonam Verma, Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

The application window for the initiative will be open till June 30, 2025.

After the initial application phase, the top 100 teams will be chosen, with 25 teams selected from each of the themes. 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.

With thousands of students now engaged and more joining each week, Solve for Tomorrow is no longer just a competition, it’s a national innovation movement.