Singapore, November 15, 2026: Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has called for greater collaboration between India and Singapore to promote innovation and develop practical solutions to real-world challenges.
He made the remarks while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the fourth Singapore-India Hackathon 2026 at Singapore Management University (SMU) in Singapore on Sunday.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
India called for stronger collaboration with Singapore in innovation and research.
The fourth Singapore-India Hackathon 2026 began on November 15.
The three-day event runs until November 17 at Singapore Management University.
A total of 120 students from 55 higher education institutions are participating.
Participants are working in 20 mixed cross-border teams.
Joshi proposed hosting the fifth edition in India in 2027.
The three-day hackathon, being held from November 15 to 17, brings together 120 students from India and Singapore, representing 55 higher education institutions. The participants are working in 20 mixed cross-border teams to develop innovative solutions to industry and societal challenges.
Addressing the participants, Joshi encouraged young innovators to think beyond national and institutional boundaries and work together to develop solutions with wider benefits.
He highlighted India's efforts to strengthen its innovation ecosystem through initiatives such as the National Education Policy 2020, Smart India Hackathon and Bharat Innovates. He also emphasised the importance of deeper institutional collaboration, sustained mentorship and innovation sandboxes to help promising ideas move beyond the prototype stage and become practical solutions.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
Stronger India-Singapore cooperation in education, research and innovation can create new opportunities for students, researchers and technology entrepreneurs. Collaboration between academic institutions and industry can also help transform innovative ideas into practical solutions for societal and economic challenges.
Joshi called for stronger partnerships between universities, research institutions and industry in both countries to create more opportunities for students and young innovators.
He invited more Singaporean universities to establish campuses in India and sought Singapore's expertise in developing India's proposed University Townships, drawing on the National University of Singapore's University Town model.
The minister also proposed hosting the fifth India-Singapore Hackathon in India in 2027 and establishing a periodic conference of higher education institutions from both countries.
Singapore's Education Minister Desmond Lee and India's High Commissioner to Singapore, Dr Shilpak Ambule, were among the dignitaries present at the inaugural ceremony.
During his visit, Joshi also held a bilateral meeting with Desmond Lee. The two ministers discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in school and higher education, skill development, research and innovation.
Their discussions covered teacher and student exchanges, mutual recognition of qualifications, artificial intelligence in education, emerging technologies and stronger industry-academia partnerships.
Joshi also invited Desmond Lee to visit India to further advance bilateral cooperation in education.
