New Delhi, India - 15 Mar 2017: Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi in collaboration with IBM (NYSE:IBM) and Federal Bank today announced an interactive online hackathon, The 'IBM Challenge' which offers students an opportunity to learn new cognitive computing skills and solve real-life business problems using IBM Watson API’s on the IBM Cloud platform.

The hackathon is a part of Research Showcase 2017 which is an annual event exhibiting the research and development work from premier educational institutions in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) region. In 2016, this event attracted over 500 students.

"This year as part of Research Showcase 2017, IIIT-Delhi in collaboration with IBM and Federal Bank, we are inviting students, practitioners and academicians to demonstrate their talent and put theory to practice via the IBM Challenge. The IBM Challenge is designed to blend hands-on learning with relevant market skill development. The participants will be asked to solve a real-world banking industry business problem and develop relevant technology solutions as part of the challenge." said Dr. A.V. Subramanyam, Chair, Research Showcase 2017, IIIT-Delhi.

The theme of the IBM Challenge is online customer engagement and students will be tested to create a solution that will help banks provide their customers with a superior banking experience. Students will have the unique opportunity to learn how to build an application using a range of Watson Artificial Intelligence technologies such as Watson Conversation, Speech to Text and Text to Speech and more with access to tools via the IBM Cloud platform.

"Federal Bank has always been at the forefront of implementing new technologies for the benefit of its customers and IBM has been our trusted partner in this journey. This collaboration with IBM and Delhi’s premier universities gives our organization an opportunity to support innovation and generate new ideas by tapping into the tremendous talent our students have here in Delhi. This initiative will not only help students develop their capabilities but also help us to identify future banking solutions." said Saran Joseph, Chief Manager, Federal Bank.

"As cognitive computing becomes more embedded in the way we use technology to communicate, we will see new types of jobs emerge and an exponential demand for new skills here in India and across the world. Our association with IIIT-Delhi and Federal Bank will help arm the developers of tomorrow with the latest capabilities and foster the necessary skills to join the workforce and create enterprise-class applications at consumer scale." said Devkant Aggarwal, Manager, University Relations, IBM India.

The participants will be mentored by IIIT-Delhi and IBM and the winner will be adjudged jointly by IIIT-Delhi, Federal Bank and IBM.

Registrations are open now. The final submission deadline is 24 March, 2017. Click on http://rs.iiitd.ac.in/to know more and register now.The final winners will be announced on 1 April, 2017

About IIIT-Delhi: 

Established in 2008, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (aka. IIIT-Delhi or IIIT-D) was created as a state university by an Act of Delhi Government (The IIIT Delhi Act, 2007) empowering it to do research and development and grant degrees. Since then, the institute has grown from strength to strength to be recognized as one of the most promising young institutions for IT education and research in India.IIIT-Delhi has been instrumental in shaping well trained Information Technology professionals through its research-focused and industry-oriented programs. Governed by the able leadership of a distinguished Board of Governors and equipped with highly qualified and accomplished faculty members, the institute has, in a short span of time, established a strong research culture, focused research groups, and innovative education programs. The institute is accredited ‘A’ grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) and has been accorded 12-B status by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing

Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive computing, where systems understand the world in a way more similar to humans: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns from previous interactions, gaining in value and knowledge over time. With the help of Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges.

As part of IBM’s strategy to accelerate the growth of cognitive computing, Watson is open to the world, allowing a growing community of developers, students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to easily tap into the most advanced and diverse cognitive computing platform available today. Watson solutions are being built, used and deployed in more than 45 countries and across 20 different industries.

For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/Watson and ibm.com/press/watson. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson.

About IBM India 
For more information on IBM India, please visit http://www.ibm.com/in/en/