Avinya27 Startup Challenge To Focus On Indian Energy Sector

The Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), a body representing companies operating in the Indian oil & gas sector launched the third edition of its energy startup challenge, Avinya. Titled Avinya27, this edition will focus on encouraging entrepreneurs, researchers and students to develop ideas, innovative solutions and technologies that can shape the energy sector in India.

The challenges for Avinya27 are spread across six themes that encompass hydrocarbon value chain including oil & gas and coal gasification; alternative fuels such as biofuels, green hydrogen, green ammonia; low carbon technologies like carbon capture utilization (CCU), e-mobility, battery technology, energy storage; renewable technologies like solar, hydro, wind and geothermal; and other functional areas in the energy sector including operations, health, safety and environment (HSE), digital technologies, AI, ML, trading, energy efficiency, capability building, sustainable financing, Industry 4.0 etc.

The top 3 winners of Avinya27 will receive cash prizes worth ₹3 lakh, ₹2 lakh and ₹1 lakh respectively. Apart from this, the top 5 winners will receive air travel and accommodation support for participating in India Energy Week 27, where they will be felicitated and given an opportunity to showcase their ideas at a designated exhibition space. The winners will also get to meet a cohort of investors and opportunities for mentorship and networking with industry leaders, incubators and energy ecosystem experts.

The winners can also hope to get access to shared incubation workspace and lab, testing and prototyping infrastructure and fast-tracked procurement pathways. They will have the opportunity to work on proof-of-concepts and pilot projects.

Avinya27 will have one special recognition for students from academic and research institutes under the Young Innovators categroy.

The applications for Avinya27 will close on midnight of September 15, 2026, followed by two rounds. In the first round, the submitted applications will be screened and the best ten applications will be selected for a pitch round. In the second round jury members will select five best business case pitches.

All the ten applications selecte for round two will get certificates of recognition visibility through FIPI’s platforms, including its website, journal, newsletters, and other relevant communication channels.