The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, under the Ministry of Ayush, launched a National Innovation Challenge to encourage the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Ayurveda. The initiative was announced during the sixth foundation day celebrations of AIIA-iCAINE, the institute’s incubation centre for Ayurveda Innovation and Entrepreneurship. TechFest, IIT Bombay, is organising the challenge in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush and AIIA. The initiative aims to promote the development of practical AI solutions that can support research, clinical practice and innovation in Ayurveda.
Challenge to Develop AI Solutions Using AyurParam
The National Innovation Challenge will use AyurParam, IIT Bombay’s open-source Ayurveda Large Language Model, as its technological foundation. Through this initiative, the organisers aim to encourage developers and innovators to create AI solutions that are reliable, transparent, secure and practical for the Ayurveda sector. The challenge will address several important areas, including Ayurvedic clinical practice, information retrieval from classical texts, research, treatment planning and public health awareness. The national challenge will culminate in a grand finale at IIT Bombay from December 15 to 18, 2026.
Strategic MoUs to Strengthen Ayurveda Innovation
During the foundation day celebrations, AIIA also signed two strategic memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to promote research, innovation and entrepreneurship in Ayurveda. Under its agreement with the World Ayurveda Foundation (WAF), AIIA will establish the AI in Ay – Secretariat for Artificial Intelligence in Ayurveda. This collaborative platform will support AI-based research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field. The second agreement, signed with Reliance Retail Limited’s Pahadi Local, aims to transform classical Ayurvedic knowledge into commercially viable skincare products.
Focus on Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building
In addition to the innovation challenge and MoUs, the event featured the launch of an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) facility for Ayurveda. A capacity-building workshop on entrepreneurship and design thinking was also organised to encourage innovation and strengthen entrepreneurial capabilities in the sector. As reported by biospectrumindia.com, through these initiatives, the Ministry of Ayush and AIIA aim to promote the integration of emerging technologies with traditional Ayurvedic knowledge, while creating opportunities for research, product development and entrepreneurship.