Chennai: A total of 110 innovative ideas from Tamil Nadu school students have been selected among the top 1,000 ideas in the National School Innovation Marathon, marking a significant achievement for the state in promoting student-led innovation.

Of the 110 ideas, 69 were contributed by students from 67 government and government-aided schools. These selected students will receive financial assistance, internship opportunities in multinational companies, and entrepreneurship mentoring aimed at transforming them into future innovators and entrepreneurs.

The School Innovation Development Project, launched in 2022 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, aims to nurture innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among school students. The initiative is jointly implemented by the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute - Tamil Nadu, the School Education Department, and UNICEF.

Initially targeting students of Classes 9 to 12, the scheme was expanded in the academic year 2024-25 to include Classes 6 to 12 across 8,063 government and government-aided schools. This expansion led to the submission of 46,569 innovative ideas from students.

From these, 730 top ideas were shortlisted to represent Tamil Nadu at the national level. The final selection of 110 ideas from the state underscores the creativity and innovative capabilities of Tamil Nadu's youth on a national platform.