Top honours and support for winners
After final pitches across three challenge tracks(1) identifying and tracking marine plastics, (2) developing removal technologies, and (3) awareness and community mobilisation the jury named Ocean Resilience India (Challenge 1), Nautilus Nexus (Challenge 2) and TrashTrek App (Challenge 3) as the top three teams. Each team received a cash prize of ₹5,00,000 and guaranteed incubation support for scaling their solutions, sponsored by the Mphasis F1 Foundation.
Voices from the ceremony
Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary at OPSA, praised the collaborative spirit and scientific rigour shown by participants, saying the Ideathon demonstrated how India-EU cooperation can produce impactful, scalable tools against plastic pollution. Ms. Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General for Research & Innovation at the European Commission, reiterated the EU’s commitment to joint research and innovation under the TTC framework.
Mentoring, jury and international participation
The Ideathon included design-thinking workshops, mentoring sessions and pitch coaching to refine early-stage ideas. An evaluation panel comprising experts from Indian research bodies and European marine litter organisations judged the final submissions. Over fifty participants represented India and EU member states such as Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Slovenia, Cyprus and Latvia.
Why this Ideathon matters
Marine plastic pollution is a transboundary challenge that affects ecosystems, fisheries, human health and coastal economies. The Ideathon focused on producing context-aware solutions that can be adapted in both Indian and European settings, emphasizing community engagement, measurable impact and technological viability. The initiative aligns with earlier efforts launched in September 2025 when the Ideathon was announced and open for applications.
Organisers said the TTC Working Group 2 will continue to nurture the winning teams through incubation pathways and explore further India EU collaborations to mainstream successful pilots into coastal-management programmes. The Mphasis F1 Foundation’s funding and incubation commitment is expected to accelerate field testing and stakeholder engagement for the winners.
Further reading
Read the official Press Information Bureau release for complete details and quotes. For background on the initiative and application process, see the India–EU Ideathon portal.
