A company called Cyient, which provides engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, network, and operations management services to global industry leaders, has announced that it will host India’s first UAV hackathon, Hackadrone 2018.

Hackadrone 2018, which is being organized by Cyient and DJI, in sponsorship with Microsoft and the Government of Telangana, is open to tech students, independent software programmers, developers and start-ups who are interested in developing innovative commercial and industrial technologies using the latest UAV technology.

Participating teams will compete to develop original software applications on DJI’s industrial UAV platform, using DJI’s Software Development Kit (SDK). The industry options include transportation, energy & natural resources and security, just to name a few.

All of the necessary support required during the hackathon will be provided by Cyient, including the UAV platforms, mentoring, and expert help on SDK to develop the shortlisted ideas.

“We invite developers and technology students across India to participate in Hackadrone 2018 and use this opportunity to develop leading-edge software applications for drone-based platforms,” says Dr. Jan Radtke, Vice President & Head, New Business Accelerator at Cyient.

“We look forward to the innovative projects that the participating teams will present at the event, and encourage all developers and students to be a part of this exciting journey to create the Next Big Thing.”

Registration for Hackadrone 2018 is now open. The final entries for the hackathon will be selected by Jan. 25, 2018. Cyient will organize a grand finale event taking place in Hyderabad, India between Feb. 5-9.

Participating teams are eligible to win cash rewards. In an effort to encourage and support women in the field of STEM education, there is also a special award eligibility for teams made up of only women.