IIT Bombay, Rosatom open Atomic Hack India 2026 for engineering students
Representative image: wzdigiphoto / Pixabay
IIT Bombay and Rosatom's Atomic Hack India 2026 is open to engineering students until October 20, 2026, with a 48-hour finale in Mumbai on December 4-6.
What Happened
IIT Bombay and Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, have opened registrations for Atomic Hack India 2026, a national engineering hackathon for undergraduate and master's engineering students. Registration closes at 11:59 pm IST on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The online qualifying round runs from October 20 to 28, and up to 25 shortlisted teams will compete in a 48-hour grand finale on the IIT Bombay campus in Mumbai from December 4 to 6, 2026.
Key Facts
- Organisers: IIT Bombay's green energy research hub (GESH) with Rosatom's corporate academy and JSC ETC GET, a Rosatom engineering company.
- Who can apply: undergraduate and master's engineering students from institutions across India.
- The task: design a zero-sequence directional overcurrent protection scheme, a way of detecting and isolating faults on an electrical grid, using a digital twin software called REPEAT VISION.
- Trial software licences are given to teams when they register.
- Timeline: registration until October 20, online qualifiers October 20 to 28, grand finale December 4 to 6, 2026, at IIT Bombay.
- Rewards listed on the event page: a fully sponsored international research internship in Moscow, internships at JSC ETC GET and industry-recognised certificates, with winners also possibly getting a visit to engineering centres in Russia.
Why It Matters
Most student hackathons in India revolve around apps, websites and artificial intelligence. This one is different. It asks students to work on power grid protection, the unglamorous engineering that keeps electricity flowing safely when something goes wrong on a line. The organisers link the event to renewable energy integration and grid protection, and engineers who understand protection systems and grid modelling are needed wherever power networks are built and run, from utilities to equipment makers.
The competition also uses digital twin software, which builds a virtual copy of a physical system so engineers can test it without risk. For an electrical or power engineering student, hands-on time with an industrial-grade tool and a real design problem is something classroom labs often cannot offer.
For students, the practical value lies in three things: a portfolio project that shows applied skill, the chance to be judged by industry engineers, and the listed internship rewards. Students should read the official terms carefully before committing time. Prizes such as the Moscow internship are described as on offer to winners, and details such as how long it lasts and what travel conditions apply are not spelled out in the public announcements.
Students should also be realistic. Only up to 25 teams reach the finale, so most entrants will not travel to Mumbai. Even so, the qualifying round itself is a structured way to learn grid protection concepts and a new tool in about a week.
| Stage | Dates | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Until October 20, 2026 | Teams sign up and receive trial software licences |
| Online qualifier | October 20 to 28, 2026 | Teams work on the protection-scheme task remotely |
| Grand finale | December 4 to 6, 2026 | Up to 25 teams compete for 48 hours at IIT Bombay |
Impact
Short-term: Engineering students have nine days to form teams and register, and those who enter will spend late October on the qualifying task.
Long-term: Exposure to grid protection and digital twin tools may help participants move into power sector and energy technology jobs and renewable energy integration, the areas the competition is built around.
Who is affected: Undergraduate and master's engineering students across India, especially in electrical, electronics and power engineering, along with their colleges and faculty mentors.
Key Takeaway
Engineering students who want hands-on grid engineering experience can enter Atomic Hack India 2026 by October 20, with a finale at IIT Bombay in December.
Questions and Answers
Who can take part in Atomic Hack India 2026?
Undergraduate and master's engineering students from institutions across India can take part, according to the organisers.
What is the last date to register?
Registration closes at 11:59 pm IST on October 20, 2026, on the event page run by IIT Bombay's green energy research hub.
What will participants have to build?
Teams must design a zero-sequence directional overcurrent protection scheme, which detects and isolates faults on a power grid, using the REPEAT VISION digital twin software provided by the organisers.
What can winners get?
The event page lists a fully sponsored research internship in Moscow, internships with Rosatom company JSC ETC GET and industry-recognised certificates, along with a possible visit to engineering centres in Russia.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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