La Fondation Dassault Systèmes India and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) celebrate students' innovation

A total of 210 schools from 29 states and Union Territories participated in 'Made in 3D – Seed the Future Entrepreneurs' Grand Finale 

July 2026 – La Fondation Dassault Systèmes India, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, successfully concluded the 2025–26 season of 'Made in 3D – Seed the Future Entrepreneurs', a flagship initiative designed to nurture innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking among young student innovators. The Grand Finale held in Pune on June 27th, featured 10 finalist teams out of the 210 participating schools from 29 states and union territories across India, reinforcing the program's mission of preparing youth for the future of innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. 

This year's finale event was organised at Dassault Systèmes Campus in Pune as part of the Indo-French Innovation Year, celebrating the strong partnership between India and France in fostering innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. 

In this year's edition, student teams were encouraged to develop solutions for problems that they observe in their daily lives, focusing on 'Low Cost Agricultural Innovations', 'Innovative & Productive Tools for Local Workers and Artisans' and 'Disaster Relief & Emergency Devices'. Using design thinking methodology and a step-by-step approach, they developed innovative solutions, from concept design to prototyping.  The finalists presented their 'pseudo-start-ups', showcasing their product prototypes, business strategies, and marketing campaigns. 

2025-2026 Winners

·First Place: DPS Greater Faridabad for Pehra

·Second Place: Hon. Vitthalrao Patwardhan Utkarsh Ashramshala for Waghera Bamboo Easy Fix

·Third Place: The School of The Good Shepherd for Keeprkit 

The winning teams impressed juries with their ability to identify societal and local challenges, and turn them into viable, design-driven business ideas using 3D digital technology. Their projects reflected deep creativity, practical design thinking, and a strong understanding of entrepreneurship. 

The grand finale was graced by esteemed dignitaries including Patrick Leverino – Consul General of France in Mumbai who served as the Chief Guest. Other dignitaries included Mr Deepak Bagla, Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission who was the Guest of Honor (joined online), Ms Deepali Upadhyay, Program Director of Atal Innovation Mission; Mr Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director – Michelin (India); Sudarshan Mogasale, President, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes India, CEO, Dassault Systèmes Solutions Lab; Mr N G Deepak, Managing Director Dassault Systèmes India; Phillippe Maurin, Scientific and Higher Education Attaché (French Consulate); Dr Chumbeni Kikon (Jt Mission Director – Skills (State of Nagaland); Maulika Kulkarni, Young Professional of Atal Innovation Mission; and Shubham Gupta, Innovation Lead of Atal Innovation Mission. 

'Made in 3D – Seed the Future Entrepreneurs' is a joint initiative by AIM and La Fondation Dassault Systèmes in India. Originally created by La Fondation Dassault Systèmes and its French partner la Fondation La main à la pâte, the program aims to instil design thinking, entrepreneurship, and 3D technology skills among students through hands-on experience. Each participating school forms a team of six students and one mentor teacher to act as a start-up. Teams identify a "dream product", design it using 3D digital tools, prototype it, and develop a go-to-market strategy including product brochures, videos, and pricing plans. 

"The Seed the Future Entrepreneurs program reflects La Fondation Dassault Systèmes' mission to empower young minds to think fearlessly, innovate boldly, and design solutions for real-world challenges. We are proud to collaborate with Atal Innovation Mission and partners like Michelin, whose support has enabled reachout to more schools & students especially from under-resourced schools to turn ideas into impactful prototypes and take confident steps toward becoming future-ready entrepreneurs," said Sudarshan Mogasale, President, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes in India, and CEO, Dassault Systèmes Solutions Lab.