IIT Madras hosts first BIMSTEC AI road safety hackathon, eyes regional collaboration

CHENNAI: In a move to strengthen regional cooperation on road safety through technology, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) hosted the first BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon, bringing together innovators, researchers and students from seven countries to develop practical solutions for one of South Asia’s biggest public safety challenges.

Organised by the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) under the aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the hackathon was held recently.

Participants from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand competed under the theme ‘AI in Road Safety’. The initiative seeks to position IIT-M as a regional platform connecting governments, academic institutions and innovators to address road safety through technology. The BIMSTEC region is home to nearly 1.8 billion people and records around two lakh road fatalities annually.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the shortlisted applications, along with other promising entries, would be mentored by CoERS for wider deployment. The Ministry of External Affairs said road safety was a shared responsibility and that the hackathon reflected India's commitment to deepening cooperation with neighbouring countries on issues of common concern.

IIT-M Director V Kamakoti said, “Research must translate into societal impact. The AI Road Safety Hackathon, bringing together young minds from across the BIMSTEC nations, reflects the collaborative spirit IIT Madras stands for,” he said.

Concurring with was CoERS head Venkatesh Balasubramanian, who added: “Road safety demanded a systems approach integrating infrastructure, technology, behaviour and policy.”

Team Cipher won the hackathon, while Civics Forge and Tejas secured the second and third positions, respectively, sharing a prize pool of Rs 1 lakh. Thailand's Road Legal and Nepal’s Qreators received special recognition for their innovations.