E.ON, in collaboration with Infosys and IIT Madras, is launching a pan India innovation challenge to identify and accelerate breakthrough solutions to Europe's most pressing energy infrastructure challenges. This initiative brings together E.ON's deep operational expertise in European energy networks, Infosys's technology and enterprise delivery capability, and IIT Madras's research and entrepreneurship ecosystem to create a structured pathway from idea to real-world deployment. The programme is designed for students and startups in India with innovative ideas that address real operational problems facing energy networks today. Selected ideas will be validated, prototyped, and developed to be deployed at scale across European and global markets. About E.ON E.ON is one of Europe's largest energy companies with the business areas of energy networks, energy infrastructure solutions and energy sales. E.ON is actively leading energy's future – putting their customers first and delivering innovation solutions that help advance the energy transition. What We Are Looking For Simple, robust, and affordable ideas and solutions built for the real world. Ideas that leverage India's frugal engineering strengths – high value with limited resources, constraint-driven design, rapidly deployable. Solutions must have a credible path to EU market relevance and adaptability to European regulatory and infrastructure contexts. Global applicability strongly encouraged. The Journey 15 months across three phases. Phase 1 – Idea Selection (July–October 2026): screening, jury review, and an in person event in Bangalore selecting up to 4 winners. Phase 2 – Validation: prototype development with Infosys & IIT Madras lab access and mentorship. Phase 3 – Deployment: real-world rollout supported by E.ON's network and Infosys client introductions. The Four Challenge Themes Grid Resilience and Physical Protection, IT Security, Robotics & AI for Grid Vigilance and Workforce Safety, and Smart Meter of the Future. Each theme has specific clusters with detailed technical briefs. You may apply to more than one cluster within the same theme. What Winners Receive Up to €80,000 in grants across 4 ventures. IIT Madras lab access, mentorship, Infosys enterprise pilot opportunities, and IIT Madras Energy Consortium Ventures membership. Eligibility: Students currently enrolled at an accredited Indian college or university, pursuing a UG, PG, or PhD programme in India. Rules & Guidelines: Each team can have a maximum of 3 members, and all team members must be based in India. Participants can select and proceed with only one problem statement and may address multiple clusters within that problem statement through a single registration. If selected for the in-person finale in Bangalore, teams will be notified by mid-September 2026, with travel and accommodation expenses to be borne by the participating teams. All decisions pertaining to eligibility, shortlisting, and progression in the competition will be made by Infosys and Unstop, and their decision shall be final and binding.* Phases of the Challenge Phase 1 - Scouting of Brilliant Minds (3 months) Challenge Launch Screening & Evaluation In person event for selection Phase 2 - Piloting of Ideas that Drive Innovation (6 months) Prototyping & Pilot Business Case Phase 3 - Integrating and Scaling Solutions (6 months) Implementation Scale-up and Integration The selection process includes screening, evaluation/interview, and an in-person finale in Bangalore, where up to 4 ventures, one per theme, will be selected. Shortlisted teams will be notified in mid-September 2026. Travel and accommodation for the Bangalore finale will be at the team's own expense. Themes for the Challenge Grid Resilience & Physical Protection of Energy Infrastructure IT Security Robotics & AI for Grid Vigilance and Workforce Safety Smart Meter of the Future Submission Guidelines: Solutions must directly address one of the four challenge problem statements and meet the requirements outlined in the respective cluster brief. Existing products or solutions may be submitted if they demonstrate relevance to European and global markets. Solutions must be submitted only through Unstop, in English, and in the specific format wherever specified. A working prototype is not mandatory for most clusters. Clusters 6 and 7 require a minimum TRL 2, while Cluster 8 requires TRL 1-2. Submissions must be original and must not infringe any third-party intellectual property or licensing rights. Participants retain ownership of their IP. For ventures selected for Phase 3, E.ON will have a 12-month right of first refusal for commercialisation of the solution developed during the programme. Applications will be evaluated on Innovation, Implementation, and Impact, along with EU transferability, frugal design, simplicity, robustness, and affordability. Submissions will be reviewed confidentially by the authorised evaluation panel comprising E.ON, Infosys, and IIT Madras. No NDA is required, and individual feedback will not be provided to unsuccessful applicants.
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