AIIA-iCAINE Launches National Ayurveda AI Challenge with IIT Bombay

The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, marked the sixth Foundation Day of its incubation centre, AIIA-iCAINE, on October 29, 2026, with the launch of a national Artificial Intelligence (AI) challenge for Ayurveda. The event also featured the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), the launch of an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Facility for Ayurveda, and a capacity-building workshop on entrepreneurship and design thinking.

The AyushTech Innovate: National Open Ayurveda AI Challenge has been launched by Techfest, IIT Bombay, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush and AIIA. The initiative will use AyurParam, an open-source Ayurveda Large Language Model developed by IIT Bombay, to encourage the development of trustworthy, transparent, safe, and practical AI solutions for Ayurveda. The challenge will focus on areas such as Ayurvedic clinical practice, retrieval of classical texts, research, treatment planning, and public health awareness. Its national grand finale is scheduled at IIT Bombay from December 15 to 18, 2026.

AIIA-iCAINE also signed two strategic MoUs to promote research, innovation and commercialisation. The agreement with the World Ayurveda Foundation (WAF) will support the establishment of the AI in Ay – Secretariat for Artificial Intelligence in Ayurveda, a collaborative platform for AI-driven research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Planned activities include joint research, funding proposals, capacity-building programmes, hackathons and startup incubation.

The second MoU, signed with Reliance Retail Limited (Pahadi Local), aims to support the development of commercially viable skincare products based on classical Ayurvedic knowledge. Under the collaboration, Reliance Retail will undertake product development, testing, manufacturing, and marketing, while the initiative will provide formulation advisory support.

Another key initiative was the launch of an IPR Facility for Ayurveda to help innovators and entrepreneurs understand intellectual property protection and safeguard their innovations during product development and commercialisation. The Foundation Day also included workshops on branding, pricing strategies and design thinking for Ayurveda ventures.

Over its six years of operation, AIIA-iCAINE has supported 52 problem statements, mentored more than 100 startup ideas and provided seed funding of ₹3 lakh each to nine startups. Established on October 29, 2021, under the Ministry of AYUSH, AIIA-iCAINE is recognised as India's first public-sector Ayurveda business incubator.

Source :https://news.docthub.com/aiia-icaine-launches-national-ayurveda-ai-challenge-with-iit-bombay-N2658