Kalam Stream Challenge 2026: ASM’s IPS Wins First Prize in the Postgraduate Category

ASM’s IPS postgraduate students Sharvari Narayan Patil and Sayali Janaba Patil won first prize in the Postgraduate category at the Kalam Stream Challenge 2026. Their research on 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivatives for anticancer drug development topped the category and earned a prize package worth ₹30,500.

The national-level student innovation and model competition was organised by ASM Group of Institutes on Sunday, 11 October 2026, at ASM’s CSIT, Pimpri, Pune. It commemorated the 95th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the scientist and former President of India who championed research and innovation.

Six students represented ASM’s IPS at the event. Coming home with the top prize in the Postgraduate category makes this a big milestone and a proud moment for the institute.

About the Kalam Stream Challenge 2026

The Kalam Stream Challenge is a national-level platform where students present research, projects and models across science and technology. It rewards scientific curiosity, rigorous methods and the ability to explain complex work clearly.

For postgraduate students, it is a chance to take research out of the lab and show its wider relevance before expert judges.

The Winning Research

The project combines laboratory science with business thinking. The team looked at whether a family of chemical compounds, 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivatives, could be promising candidates for anticancer drug research, and whether developing them further could make commercial sense.

How the research was carried out

1. Synthesis: Preparing selected 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivatives in the lab.
2. Characterisation: Analysing the compounds to confirm their identity and properties.
3. Evaluation: Studying the derivatives to see which ones merit further investigation.
4. Pre-formulation studies: Examining physical and chemical properties that matter when turning a compound into a medicine.
5. Preliminary commercial assessment: Weighing the potential for further development.

Why it matters

Cancer remains one of the biggest health challenges of our time, and every new drug begins with early-stage research like this. Turning a promising compound into an approved treatment takes many more years of testing, but discovery starts exactly here.

What sets this project apart is its integrated approach. By pairing scientific assessment with a commercial view, Sharvari and Sayali showed the kind of thinking the pharmaceutical industry values.

A Prize Package Worth ₹30,500

The first-prize team received learning resources worth ₹30,500 in total.

The package is designed to keep the learning going long after the event, giving the winners new skills and resources for their next projects.

Distinguished Dignitaries

Leaders from science, research, education and public administration graced the event.

Chief Guests

• Dr. Arvind A. Natu: Chairman, Board of Governors, IISER Kolkata and MANIT, Bhopal; German Research Ambassador.
• Shri A. K. Sinha: Former Senior Scientist, ISRO; Former Director (R&D), Bharati Vidyapeeth University College of Engineering, Pune.

Guests of Honour

• Dr. Heera Lal, IAS: Secretary, National Integration Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
• Prof. Ananya Mukherjee: Vice-Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR.
• Dr. Sandeep Pachpande: Chairman, ASM Group of Institutes, Pune.
• Dr. Dilip Deshmukh: Head of the Science Department, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune.
• Er. D. Gokul: Senior Scientist and Project Manager, SSLV, ISRO.
• Mr. Daram Muralidhara Reddy: Dean and Research Coordinator, Ashoka Women’s Engineering College, Kurnool.
• Mr. Rishiraj Singh Parihar: Director, SBITM, Betul, Madhya Pradesh.
• Mr. Fasalu Rahman: Founder and CEO, STEM-Xpert.
• Shri APJ M. Sheikh Dawood: Grand-nephew of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Vice-President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation.

A Proud Moment for ASM’s IPS

Six participants and the top prize in the Postgraduate category: the Kalam Stream Challenge 2026 is a day ASM’s IPS will remember with pride.

Sharvari and Sayali’s win shows that serious, research-driven work in pharmaceutical sciences can stand out on a national stage. It is exactly the kind of scientific curiosity Dr. Kalam inspired.

ASM’s IPS congratulates Sharvari Narayan Patil and Sayali Janaba Patil, and applauds every student who participated. Sincere thanks to our faculty, mentors and management for their guidance and support.

Explore. Research. Innovate. Advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where was the Kalam Stream Challenge 2026 held?

On Sunday, 11 October 2026, at ASM’s CSIT, Pimpri, Pune. ASM Group of Institutes organised it to mark Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s 95th birth anniversary.

How many ASM’s IPS students participated?

Six students from ASM’s IPS took part.

Who won first prize in the Postgraduate category?

Sharvari Narayan Patil and Sayali Janaba Patil of ASM’s IPS, for their research on 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivatives for anticancer drug development.

What did the winners receive?

A prize package worth ₹30,500: a live course (₹24,000), a STEM Facilitator Part 1 Kit (₹4,000) and STEM Facilitator Academy access (₹2,500).