Registration opens 15 Oct 2026Open to startups, enterprises, research institutions, academia & innovators across IndiaTotal Award Outlay: ₹20,00,000 (₹5L Grand Prize + 5 × ₹3L Category Awards)Access to simulated logistics datasets & ULIP APIs · Top 25 advance to Grand Finale
DPIIT Startup IndiaNICDCNLDSLRegister
Drawing coastline · lighting zones

NLDSL DigiTwin Grand Challenge

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Twin Today. Transform Tomorrow.

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All sectors

About the Challenge

A Digital Twin is a real-time virtual replica of a physical asset, process, or system that enables continuous monitoring, predictive analytics, scenario simulation, and dynamic optimisation. In the logistics domain, Digital Twins present transformative potential across port operations, freight corridors, warehousing, multimodal hubs, and supply chain networks by enabling data-driven decision-making at scale.

The NLDSL DigiTwin Grand Challenge invites students, innovators, startups and industry partners to harness data and build intelligent digital replicas of India's logistics infrastructure enabling smarter simulation, predictive planning and operations optimization across the supply chain.

  • Ports
  • Freight corridors
  • Warehousing
  • Multimodal hubs
  • Supply chains
DigitalTwinMonitorPredictSimulateOptimise
Monitor. A live view of assets and flows as they happen.

Why Participate

  1. Identify

    Discover and nurture high-impact Digital Twin solutions addressing real-world logistics bottlenecks in India.

  2. Build

    Develop a robust repository of functional, scalable, and deployment-ready Digital Twin solutions and prototypes.

  3. Enlist

    Identify prospective technology solution providers associated with shortlisted solutions for potential consideration in future Digital Twin initiatives of NICDC and NLDSL.

Focus Sectors

Participants may develop Digital Twin solutions across the five curated focus sectors below, or take the Open Category for innovative applications in related logistics, infrastructure, mobility, or supply-chain domains.

SECTOR 01

Multimodal Logistics (Port, Rail & Road)

SECTOR 01ULIP / LIVE DATA

Multimodal Logistics (Port, Rail & Road)

Twins for container terminals, vessel turnaround, Dedicated Freight Corridors and road-rail intermodal movement.

Illustrative Digital Twin Applications:
  • Real-time twin of container terminal ops (berth allocation, crane scheduling, gate management)
  • Vessel movement simulation & turnaround optimisation
  • Predictive congestion/dwell-time modelling at EXIM ports
SECTOR 02

Industrial Corridor, Parks & Warehousing

SECTOR 02ULIP / LIVE DATA

Industrial Corridor, Parks & Warehousing

Virtual replicas of industrial corridors, MMLPs and smart warehouses, from factory gate to dock door.

Illustrative Digital Twin Applications:
  • Virtual replica of MMLPs for capacity planning
  • Smart warehouse twins (inventory flow, pick-pack-ship, space utilisation)
  • Automated dock scheduling & yard management
SECTOR 03

Mining & Mineral Sectors

SECTOR 03ULIP / LIVE DATA

Mining & Mineral Sectors

Pit-to-port twins for ore and mineral evacuation, stockyards and bulk rail-road dispatch.

Illustrative Digital Twin Applications:
  • Mine-to-port ore/mineral movement twins
  • Rail-road evacuation & yard optimisation
  • Stockyard monitoring & dispatch
SECTOR 04

Urban Mobility & Energy Logistics (EV Ecosystem)

SECTOR 04ULIP / LIVE DATA

Urban Mobility & Energy Logistics (EV Ecosystem)

City logistics twin (traffic flow, delivery routes, congestion windows); EV fleet and charging-infrastructure simulation; hyperlocal demand forecasting; EV battery supply chain and renewable energy grid-asset movement planning.

Illustrative Digital Twin Applications:
  • Urban freight route optimisation & congestion windows
  • EV commercial fleet charging & grid load balancing
  • Hyperlocal micro-fulfilment delivery forecasting
SECTOR 05

Supply Chain Logistics (Pharma, Healthcare, Agriculture)

SECTOR 05ULIP / LIVE DATA

Supply Chain Logistics (Pharma, Healthcare, Agriculture)

End-to-end visibility and cold-chain integrity for medicines, medical supplies and farm produce.

Illustrative Digital Twin Applications:
  • End-to-end supply chain twin with disruption simulation
  • Cold-chain twins for vaccines/pharma
  • Medical-equipment inventory optimisation
SECTOR 06

Open Category (Beyond Focus Sectors)

SECTOR 06ULIP / LIVE DATA

Open Category (Beyond Focus Sectors)

Digital Twin ideas for logistics, infrastructure, mobility or supply-chain problems outside the five focus sectors.

Illustrative Digital Twin Applications:
  • Cross-sector national logistics network twins
  • Aviation, inland waterway and coastal shipping logistics
  • Disaster-response and humanitarian logistics

How It Works

  1. 1

    Registration & Concept Pitch

    15 Oct – 14 Nov 2026Opens in 20 days
    Submit2-page concept note
    Top 75 teams
    How it's evaluated
    • Eligibility screening (pass/fail)2–5 members, a technical lead in data/AI/ML/software, India-based representation.
    • Concept note, scored /100Problem clarity, proposed Digital Twin approach and data feasibility.
  2. 2

    Detailed Idea Submission

    23 Nov – 08 Dec 2026
    SubmitArchitecture & simulation spec
    Top 25 finalists
    How it's evaluated
    • Technical blueprint, scored /100System specification, simulation model and data integration architecture.
  3. 3

    Prototype Demo & Finale

    10 Dec 2026 – 14 Jan 2027
    SubmitWorking prototype + live jury demo
    Winners
    How it's evaluated
    • Grand jury demo, scored /100Judged by senior Ministry officials, industry leaders and NLDSL/NICDC executives.

Eligibility

Answer three questions to find out.

Students, startups, researchers and companies can all enter. Members can come from different organisations, so a university and a startup can form one team.

How many people are on your team?

Tap to set

Does someone on your team work with data, AI/ML or software?

Is your team based in India?

3 to go.
Register your team

Evaluation

0%100%
  • 25% of the total score

    Digital Twin Architecture

    • Completeness of architecture
    • Real-time synchronisation
    • Fidelity of virtual representation
    • Scenario simulation
    • Predictive, prescriptive and optimisation capabilities
25% of the total score

Digital Twin Architecture

  • Completeness of architecture
  • Real-time synchronisation
  • Fidelity of virtual representation
  • Scenario simulation
  • Predictive, prescriptive and optimisation capabilities

Prizes

Grand Prize
₹5,00,000

For the top team overall.

5 Sector Prizes
₹3,00,000 each

For the best team in each focus sector.

  • Multimodal Logistics
  • Corridor, Parks & Warehousing
  • Mining & Minerals
  • Urban Mobility & EV
  • Supply Chain Logistics

Timeline

All dates in IST.

  1. Up next
    15 Oct 2026

    Launch & publication of DigiTwin Grand Challenge guidelines and 5 Focus Sectors.

  2. 15 Oct – 14 Nov 2026

    Team registration and 2-page Concept Note submission window (30 days) · Stage 1.

  3. 15 – 22 Nov 2026

    Screening Committee assessment; announcement of Top 75 shortlisted teams (8 days).

  4. 23 Nov – 08 Dec 2026

    Stage 2 Detailed Idea & Architecture submission window for evaluation (15 days).

  5. 09 Dec 2026

    Announcement of Top 25 finalist teams advancing to Prototype Development Stage.

  6. 10 – 31 Dec 2026

    Stage 3 Prototype / PoC development; optional access to official ULIP APIs (21 days).

  7. 04 – 14 Jan 2027

    Virtual demonstration to Grand Jury, final evaluation, awards ceremony & vendor enlistment.

FAQs

The challenge is open pan-India to students, startups (early-stage or DPIIT-registered), tech enterprises, research institutions, academia, and independent innovators. Teams must have between 2 and 5 members, with at least one member demonstrating technical capability in data engineering, AI/ML, or software development.
Yes. Cross-organisation and multi-institution collaboration is encouraged. Teams may comprise members from a single entity or represent joint teams across universities, research labs, and startups.
Teams must upload a structured 2-page Concept Note in PDF format. The document should clearly define the chosen logistics bottleneck, proposed digital twin architecture, anticipated data sources, and expected impact metrics. Submissions can be edited until the window closes on 14 November 2026.
Participants are encouraged to use their own data, public datasets, or synthetic/simulated logistics feeds. For Stage 3 (Top 25 finalists), access to official Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) APIs and Logistics Data Bank (LDB) sandbox feeds will be optionally facilitated by NLDSL.
Participating teams retain 100% full ownership of their intellectual property, source code, and algorithms. NLDSL and NICDC facilitate national recognition, cash prizes, and prospective vendor enlistment without taking equity or IP transfer.
Winning and ranked teams receive official enlistment letters issued by the Competent Authority. Enlisted solution providers will be positioned as preferred prospective technology partners for upcoming digital twin deployments across NICDC smart industrial cities and national logistics corridors.
The fixed outlay of ₹20,00,000 is distributed purely as cash awards: ₹5,00,000 for the Grand Prize winner (Most Innovative Solution across all sectors), and 5 Category Awards of ₹3,00,000 each for the top-ranked solution in each of the five focus sectors.
Register Your Team (Gate 1 Open) →