SEED
School students working on SDG-focused ideas with support from an approved school SPOC.
Platform guide
Your route through BIOS
A clear guide to choosing a mode, forming a team, completing screening and reaching the hackathon.
01 · About
What BIOS is
BIOS (Bringing Innovation On-Stage) is the hackathon of the CSED Department at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, run with the IEEE Student Branch. Teams take an idea from a first sketch to a working prototype, on site on 30, 31 October and 1 November 2026.
Before the hackathon there is a Screening round. Only teams shortlisted in screening take part in the rounds that follow.
02 · Process
How participation works
- 01
Create your BIOS account
Sign in, complete your profile and provide the required participant information.
- 02
Choose a mode
A team leader registers for SEED, CORE or FRONTIER. Members join with a team code. CORE and FRONTIER participants may switch before their team submits in Screening.
- 03
Choose a screening statement
The team leader chooses one sample statement from the team’s mode on the dashboard. That choice is final for screening.
- 04
Complete the Screening round
The team submits one solution before its mode deadline. Organisers review the round and publish the shortlist.
- 05
Advance to the hackathon
Shortlisted teams keep their mode and make a new statement choice for the on-site rounds.
03 · Participation
Who each mode is for
CORE
First-time and emerging builders looking for a structured, accessible challenge.
FRONTIER
Experienced teams ready for a more demanding technical and product challenge.
FORGE
Eligible FRONTIER teams invited to work on briefs from industry partners, subject to each partner's policies.
There is no direct FORGE registration.
04 · Registration
Registering and joining
Only a team’s leader completes the full registration form. Everyone else joins with the team code, and every participant verifies their identity and accepts the policies.
SEED
Schools and their SPOC
- A teacher or staff member registers the school as its SPOC (single point of contact). The organisers review the request.
- Once approved, the SPOC shares the school code with students.
- Each student registers with the school code, a school-issued ID and a guardian consent form signed by a parent or guardian.
- The SPOC verifies each student, and verified students form their teams.
CORE and FRONTIER
The team leader registers
The leader provides their institution, enrolment number, phone number and college-issued ID, then accepts the policies. They create a team on the dashboard and share its code. A team keeps one mode.
Team code
Joining a team
Teammates complete their profile and enter the code on their dashboard. A cross-mode join clearly confirms the change before it happens. Every member verifies their identity and accepts the policies. Before submission, members may leave and switch modes. Once the team submits in Screening, its mode and roster are final. Mode changes also close when Screening ends.
Verification
Identity and consent
- College and university participants upload a college-issued identity card.
- SEED students upload a school-issued identity card and signed guardian consent, and their SPOC verifies them.
- Every participant accepts the Privacy Policy and the Participation Terms.
Find teammates by skills
- Open Find teams by skills from your dashboard. If you cannot recruit, use the Requests and Messages history links instead.
- Solo participants may contact other solo participants or the leader of a team with room. Only the leader may contact a solo participant on behalf of a team. Teams do not contact other teams through matching.
- A request opens a one-to-one chat when accepted. It does not reserve a place or add anyone to a team.
- To join, enter the team code on your dashboard. The normal capacity and mode-confirmation rules apply. Joining, leaving and recruiting close when the team submits or Screening ends. Earlier chats remain readable.
05 · Briefs
Two separate choices
Screening uses public sample statements. The actual hackathon statements are managed separately and are not revealed during screening.
Screening
Public sample statements
Review the statements without signing in. After forming a team, the leader selects one from the team’s mode on the dashboard.
Hackathon
A fresh statement choice
After screening closes, shortlisted teams choose again from the hackathon statements. Their participation mode does not change.
06 · Screening
Screening submission
Choose one statement from your team’s mode. Complete the official five-slide presentation and upload the PPTX or a PDF export through the Screening round on your dashboard. Add a YouTube link to a one-minute video explaining your approach and how it solves the problem.
SEED
10 published statements
CORE
9 published statements
FRONTIER
8 published statements
07 · Results
Shortlisting and later rounds
How shortlisting works
The organisers review every screening submission and mark each team shortlisted or not selected. Only shortlisted teams continue, and every later round works the same way: teams submit, the organisers review, and shortlisted teams go on to the next round.
Where you see the result
Your dashboard shows your team’s result for each round, whether it can continue and what to do next, as soon as the organisers publish it. Keep an eye on the announcements as well.
08 · Community
Campus ambassadors
Refer friends to BIOS and climb your campus leaderboard. Only verified CORE and FRONTIER registrations count.
Selected participants near the top of each campus leaderboard will become campus ambassadors.
09 · Support
Mentors and help
Mentors
Mentors are experienced people who help teams with direction and feedback. Teams browse the mentor directory and can keep up to 3 requests pending at a time. When a mentor accepts, they appear on the team’s dashboard.
Getting help
- Read the announcements for updates from the organisers.
- Ask on the BIOS Discord.
- Meet the organising team.
10 · Schedule
Dates to plan around
A date without a time closes at the end of that day, India Standard Time (IST).
SEED registrations and submissions close
School registrations and SEED screening submissions must be complete.
CORE and FRONTIER registrations and submissions close
Team registrations and screening submissions close for both modes.
Screening results
Teams can check whether they are selected for the offline hackathon.
Offline hackathon
Selected teams build, present and complete the rounds on site at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology.