SOLAN, Himachal Pradesh : In the hills of Himachal Pradesh, innovation often begins with challenges that rarely make headlines. For some communities, it is access to healthcare. For others, it is the lack of assistive technologies for people with disabilities, limited educational resources, or everyday barriers created by difficult terrain. Increasingly, these local challenges are becoming the inspiration for a new generation of young innovators.
At a Design Thinking Workshop conducted under Samsung Solve for Tomorrow at Shoolini University, more than 300 students from across Himachal Pradesh gathered to learn how innovation can emerge from understanding real community needs rather than simply building technology for its own sake.
The workshop forms part of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026, Samsung India’s flagship innovation programme that empowers young people aged 14–22 to develop technology-driven solutions addressing challenges in areas such as AI, health and education, environmental sustainability, and sport and technology.
During the session, students were introduced to Samsung’s human-centred Design Thinking framework, which encourages participants to empathize with users, identify root causes of problems, generate ideas, build prototypes and test solutions.
The approach resonated strongly with students who saw opportunities to address challenges affecting their own communities. Randesh Gupta, a third-year student, said the workshop encouraged him to think more deeply about accessibility issues faced by persons with disabilities.”It made me realise that many challenges remain invisible until we actively engage with the people experiencing them. The workshop helped me think about how technology can be used to create solutions that genuinely improve lives,” he said.
Mahesh, a second-year BCA student, said the session provided a structured pathway for transforming ideas into practical solutions. “Samsung is helping students understand how to identify real problems and build targeted solutions around them. The framework gives us a cle arer direction for innovation,” he said.
For Mahek, a Class XII student from Solan, the workshop reinforced an equally important lesson. “I learned that meaningful change does not always start with a big idea. Sometimes it begins by solving a small problem that affects people around us,” she said.
The workshop reflects Samsung’s broader effort to build grassroots innovation ecosystems by taking Design Thinking and entrepreneurship education directly to students across India. As part of the 2026 edition, Samsung is conducting workshops across 100 cities nationwide, creating opportunities for young innovators to identify local challenges and develop solutions with national relevance.
The initiative has already engaged thousands of students across the country and is helping create a pipeline of future innovators, entrepreneurs and changemakers capable of addressing challenges within their own communities.
The programme will culminate with the top four winning teams receiving incubation grants worth INR 2 crore at FITT, IIT Delhi, along with mentorship, training and prototyping support to help bring their ideas to life.
As innovation increasingly moves beyond metropolitan centres, programmes such as Samsung Solve for Tomorrow are demonstrating that some of India’s most impactful ideas may emerge not from startup hubs, but from students seeking solutions to the challenges they encounter every day.
Applications for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 remain open until July 3, 2026.
Samsung Newsroom India: Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Sparks Innovation Among Himachal Pradesh Students Through Design Thinking
