The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) together with DQ Labs Pvt Ltd announced that the Design Hackathon 2022 for school children of classes 8 to 12 to be held on August 13 and 14, 2022. The Hackathon aims to introduce children to ‘design thinking’ which is increasingly being accepted as a necessity for innovation in different fields. Design thinking is a process followed by leading companies like Apple, Google and Samsung. It is taught as a course at leading universities including Stanford and Harvard.
“Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that begins with understanding consumers, redefining problems and finding innovative solutions. It is widely accepted as a basis for innovation across art, music, literature, science, engineering and business.”, said Mr. Udayant Malhoutra, Chairman, CII National Committee on Design & Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Dynamatic Technologies Limited. “As an organization working to create an environment conducive to the development of the Indian economy, CII believes that nurturing design thinking process at a younger age will encourage innovation in Indian business, science and technology.”, he added.
The Design Hackathon is an annual event organized held every year since 2019. The national-level hackathon is a two-day event that culminates in a competition. There are many prizes totaling over Rs 1 Lakh. The competition is held under two categories, one for students of Classes 8 to 10 and the other for students of Classes 11 & 12. Students may participate in teams of 1 to 5 members. There is no admission fee for participants and the hackathon is held online. Students desirous of participating in the event this year may visit the site www.dqlabs.in/dh22live.php for more information or to apply.
“The last edition of the CII-DQ Labs Design Hackathon saw participation by over 1200 students from over 200 schools. This year we expect many more students to participate.”, said Mr. Umesh GL, Co-Founder and Director, DQ Labs Pvt Ltd. “The Hackathon is our approach to introducing design thinking in school students. During the two day event students are mentored and assisted as they develop solutions to common problems.”, Mr. Umesh added.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has a history that goes back 125 years. In this time, CII has been engaged in shaping India’s development journey and has worked proactively on transforming Indian Industry’s engagement in national development. CII is based in Delhi but has 62 offices nationwide including 10 Centres of Excellence. It also has 8 offices in other countries.
As India completes 75 years of Independence in 2022, it must position itself for global leadership with a long-term vision for India@100 in 2047. The role played by Indian industry will be central to the country’s progress and success as a nation. CII, with the Theme for 2022-23 as Beyond India@75: Competitiveness, Growth, Sustainability, Internationalisation has prioritized 7 action points under these 4 sub-themes that will catalyze the journey of the country towards the vision of India@100.
DQ Labs Pvt Ltd was established in 2007 by two designers from IIT, Delhi who worked for major international car makes before starting DQ Labs. The young age at which students abroad were exposed to design thinking made them quit their jobs and begin DQ Labs in the hope of achieving a similar change in India. DQ Labs is currently operating in Bengaluru, Mangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Thrissur. It guides students who wish to try for admission to creative courses like design, architecture and fashion.
For information, and how to apply for Design Hackathon 2022, you may visit: www.dqlabs.in/dh22live.php