Infrastructure Innovation Contest by NICMAR Draws 20,000 Students Nationwide

Nitin Gadkari addressed the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge finale in Mumbai, where Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering won the national title.

NICMAR hosted the Grand Finale of the inaugural Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge 2026 in Mumbai, bringing together student innovators, industry leaders, academicians and policymakers to discuss India’s infrastructure future.
The event was held at JW Marriott Mumbai and was attended by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, as Chief Guest.
Launched in December 2025, the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge is NICMAR’s nationwide innovation platform for Civil Engineering, Architecture and Core Engineering students. Supported by the All India Council for Technical Education, the first edition engaged more than 20,000 students from over 500 institutions across India.

After college level rounds, city competitions across 11 cities and three regional finales, teams from IIT Delhi, Maturi Venkata Subba Rao Engineering College and Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering reached the national finale.
Addressing the gathering, Nitin Gadkari said, “For futuristic development, futuristic research is paramount and our young talented engineers are very capable of this; and NICMAR has done good work in this area & through Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge.”
Following evaluation by a jury of industry leaders and academicians, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering won the inaugural Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge. The winning team received a Global Infrastructure Excellence Tour along with recognition from the overall prize pool worth ₹30 lakh.

Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors, NICMAR, said, “As India enters one of the most crucial infrastructure development phases, our greatest asset will not only be capital or technology, but also the quality of our talent.”
Alongside the competition, NICMAR hosted an Industry-Academia Conclave focused on collaboration between educational institutions and industry, technology adoption, sustainable infrastructure and talent development for the Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Project Management sector.

Established in 1983, NICMAR is an autonomous, non-governmental and not-for-profit institute focused on Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Project Management education, with campuses in Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Mumbai.

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