Illustrative student collage with handmade prototypes and colourful innovation doodles

SIDP 5.0

Enabling Innovation.
Empowering Next Generation.

Nurturing innovation & problem solving capacity in students of Tamil Nadu and building 21st century skills.

About SIDP 5.0

The School Innovation Development Project (SIDP) is a state-wide initiative of the School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. It equips students in Classes 6 to 12 with design thinking, creativity and collaboration skills, guided by trained teachers.

Programme objectives

Foster a culture of innovation and inquiry in government schools
Build 21st-century skills through structured, self-paced learning
Enable student teams to address real challenges in their communities
Recognise and scale promising student innovations

About UPSHIFT

UPSHIFT is a UNICEF programme that builds the skills and opportunities young people need to identify challenges in their communities and design solutions to address them. SIDP adapts the UPSHIFT approach for school students through an age-appropriate, guided learning pathway.

1
Identify
Observe the community and select a meaningful problem.
2
Understand
Research the problem and the people it affects.
3
Design
Generate ideas and develop a feasible solution.
4
Prototype and present
Build, test, refine and present the solution.

Programme Journey

A pathway from learning and discovery to student innovation and recognition.

01
Registration
Teachers register their schools and begin the SIDP 5.0 programme.
02
Learning Journey
Teachers and students build skills in design thinking, problem-solving and collaboration.
03
Idea Submission
Student teams identify local challenges and present their innovative solutions.
04
Evaluation
Experts assess ideas and identify promising student innovations.
05
Bootcamps
Selected teams refine their ideas through mentoring, prototyping and hands-on learning.
06
Grand Finale
Student teams showcase their innovations and celebrate their achievements.