Post Quantum Finalist Debuts in Unisys Innovation Program

With over 27,000 registrants participating in the 17th Unisys Innovation Program, student interest in applying academic learning to real-world technological challenges remains strong. This year’s competition saw 4,487 project submissions focused on areas including AI efficiency and medical diagnostics, culminating in RV College of Engineering taking first place for “Cross-Paradigm Compression for Efficient AI.” Their winning framework combines spiking neural networks and structured pruning to reduce the computational demands of deep learning models, potentially enabling wider and more affordable AI deployment. “The pace of innovation today demands talent that can move from idea to impact quickly,” said Chris Arrasmith, chief operating officer of Unisys, reflecting the program’s goal of bridging the gap between theory and practical application.

2026 Unisys Innovation Program: Bridging Academic Learning and Real-World Solutions

Over 27,000 students engaged with practical technology challenges through the 2026 Unisys Innovation Program, signaling a strong desire to translate academic concepts into tangible solutions. The 17th annual competition, established in 2009, attracted 4,487 project submissions from engineering students across India, focusing on six key themes designed to address current technological needs. This year’s program directly linked student innovation with industry demands, fostering a collaborative environment between emerging talent and experienced professionals. The program’s structure aims to accelerate the transition from theoretical knowledge to practical application, a critical component in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. The team’s framework combines spiking neural network dynamics with structured pruning techniques, achieving a reduction in compute requirements while maintaining model accuracy. This approach promises more efficient and cost-effective AI deployment, particularly for edge and enterprise environments where resource constraints are significant.

MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology earned second place with “ResoScan,” a portable, radiation-free diagnostic system. “ResoScan” analyzes tissue vibrations to detect changes, offering a potentially more accessible and affordable alternative to conventional diagnostic methods across various medical specialties. A third project from RV College of Engineering, “An Intelligent Risk-Adaptive Governance Framework and Security Gateway for Secure LLM Interactions,” took third place, addressing the growing need for secure interactions with large language models. This multi-layered security gateway leverages both AI and post-quantum cryptography to safeguard sensitive data, enabling safer and more responsible enterprise use of these powerful tools.

Lalithanand Moses, vice president and managing director of Unisys in India, emphasized that “UIP is not just a competition — it’s about creating a platform where students can build confidence, collaborate and translate their ideas into solutions with real-world relevance.” Judges evaluated submissions based on feasibility, creativity, technical merit, and potential impact, culminating in a final presentation before industry leaders and analysts.