Cyberthorn'26

National-level Cyber-Physical Systems Design Competition

Organized by Creative Lab, BITS Pilani Dubai Campus, Dubai, UAE

Shape the Future of UAE with CPS Innovation

This competition is open to all undergraduate and higher degree students from all disciplines including engineering, sciences, and management. A team can be a maximum of 5 members.

Submit Your Proposal

About Cyberthorn'26

Cyberthorn'26 is a prestigious national-level Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) design competition that invites undergraduate and postgraduate students to develop intelligent, real-world CPS solutions. The competition is aligned with the UAE's Vision 2031 and promotes innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical problem-solving in sectors critical to the nation's sustainable and smart future.

Competition Themes

Smart City and Urban Mobility

Aligned with UAE's Smart Dubai initiative and AI 2031 Strategy

  • Smart traffic management and autonomous public transport
  • Smart parking and pedestrian safety systems
  • AI-based waste collection and recycling CPS

Energy Efficiency & Sustainable Infrastructure

Aligned with UAE Net Zero by 2050 and Energy Strategy 2050

  • Smart grids with demand forecasting
  • IoT-based building energy optimization
  • CPS for solar panel performance and fault detection

Next-Gen Healthcare & Wellness

Aligned with the National Agenda for Health Sector Transformation

  • Remote patient monitoring with alert systems
  • Smart elderly care systems
  • CPS for chronic disease prediction

Environmental Monitoring & Disaster Management

Aligned with UAE Environmental Policy and Climate Risk Readiness

  • Real-time air/water quality tracking systems
  • CPS for early warning of floods or sandstorms
  • Drone-based firefighting or search & rescue systems

Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure Protection

Aligned with UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy

  • CPS for detecting cyber-physical intrusions
  • Intrusion detection and automated mitigation systems
  • Secure IoT and SCADA system integration

Smart Education & Learning Environments

Supports UAE's AI in Education Vision and Future-Ready Schools

  • CPS-based smart classrooms with adaptive learning technologies
  • Real-time monitoring of student engagement and wellbeing
  • Campus automation for energy use and attendance

Competition Structure

Proposal Submission

Teams submit a proposal including:

  • Problem statement aligned with a theme
  • CPS architecture overview
  • Expected impact in the UAE context
  • Description of functional prototype (both hardware and software)

Final Round

Final demonstration with hardware and software

Registration Fees

For Shortlisted Proposals

AED 50

per team

Payment required upon shortlist notification to confirm participation in the final round

Important Dates

Submission Deadline

15 February 2026

Shortlisted Proposal Acceptance

28 February 2026

Registration Deadline

15 March 2026

Final Prototype Demonstration & Award (In-person)

13 April 2026

Prizes & Recognition

🥇

First Prize

5,000 AED
🥈

Second Prize

3,000 AED
🥉

Third Prize

2,000 AED

Special Recognition Awards

🏆

Best Innovation Award

🌱

Best Sustainability Impact

🎤

Best Presentation Award

Certificates of Participation for all registered teams

Committee Structure

Patron

Souri Banerjee

Director, BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Advisory Chairs

Amitava Mukherjee

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

R. Karthikeyan

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Organizing Chairs

Mithun Mukherjee

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Pranav M Pawar

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Technical Chairs

Sunil Thomas

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Shrikant Charde

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Publicity Chair

Raja Muthalagu

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Theme Chairs

V. Kalaichelvi

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Geetha Kannan

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Meghana Charde

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Majid Hassan Khan

BITS Pilani, Dubai, UAE

Contact Information

Get Started with Your Innovation Journey

For detailed information, submission guidelines, and queries regarding Cyberthorn'26, please reach out to us.

creativelab@dubai.bits-pilani.ac.in