Media Release

Udupi, Nov 12: Madhava Kripa School, Manipal, in collaboration with the Innovation Centre, MAHE, Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC), MAHE, and MIT, organised PROTOQUEST 2026, an inter-school prototype competition, at the school premises on November 7. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from around 12 schools across Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

The programme began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp, followed by a welcome address by Swati Kulkarni, principal, Madhava Kripa School. Tr Dhanya compered the event, which was coordinated by Tr P Sathyavathi Mallya.

Dr Santhosha Rao, CEO, MUTBI, MAHE, was the chief guest, while Dr K Sreedhara Ranganath Pai, administrative officer, AGE, Manipal, presided over the programme. Chandrashekar Prabhu, correspondent, Madhava Kripa School, Dr Mohammad Zuber, chief innovation officer, Innovation Centre, MAHE, and Dr Mathew Peter, assistant director, Innovation and Incubation Centre, MAHE, were also present.

Addressing the students, Dr Santhosha Rao highlighted the importance of failures in the journey towards success. He encouraged students to embrace challenges, learn from their experiences and ‘love the problem’ as the first step towards finding meaningful solutions. In his presidential address, Dr K Sreedhara Ranganath Pai spoke about the vision of Viksit Bharat and urged young minds to take initiative, foster innovation and contribute to the nation's development.

PROTOQUEST 2026 provided a platform for students to present their innovative prototypes, demonstrating creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The competition encouraged participants to go beyond classroom learning and explore practical solutions to real-world challenges.

The initiative aimed at fostering a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship among school students while inspiring them to become future-ready problem-solvers.