Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the first-ever IIT Madras Technology Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with the event focused on strengthening collaboration between industry, academia and government to support India's technology and innovation ambitions.
Held under the theme "From IITM. For Bharat. Building Together", the summit aimed to create a collaborative framework for designing, developing and deploying technologies aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Union Minister of State for Education and Skill Development Jayant Chaudhary attended the summit as the Guest of Honour. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education, along with leadership teams from NTPC, BPCL and HSBC, were also present at the event.
Push for real-world innovation
Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said India's innovation ecosystem is at a turning point and stressed that research should move beyond academic outcomes such as theses, patents and citations to create deployable products and practical societal solutions.
He said institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Madras are helping strengthen a research-driven and society-linked innovation ecosystem while advancing India's capabilities in deep-tech and frontier technologies.
The minister also highlighted the government's proposed Rs 1 lakh crore allocation for Research, Development and Innovation, saying the initiative reflects a strong commitment towards expanding research capacity and improving the translation of research into measurable outcomes.
According to Pradhan, nearly 70% of research investment in India currently comes from the government. He said the long-term objective should be a more balanced 50:50 partnership between government and industry to accelerate innovation and scale impact.
He also linked the country's innovation efforts to the broader Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, stating that India's development model could become increasingly significant for countries across the Global South.
Industry-backed research centres launched
One of the major highlights of the summit was the launch of new industry-supported research centres by IIT Madras in collaboration with leading corporate partners. The centres announced at the summit include:
- NTPC Centre for Cardiovascular Research
- BPCL Centre for Next-Gen Technologies for Robotic Assisted Surgeries (YANTRAS)
- HSBC Centre for Resource Efficiency, Recyclability & Circularity in Energy Transition
- Bodhan AI, a Centre of Excellence supported by the Ministry of Education
According to IIT Madras, Bodhan AI will work towards building the Bharat EduAI Stack, described as a sovereign digital public infrastructure initiative aimed at training more than one million teachers in AI-enabled teaching by 2027. Pradhan inaugurated the newly announced centres during the summit.
Deep-tech and research in focus
The event also featured an exhibition showcasing research initiatives from the 15 Centres of Excellence established by IIT Madras under the Institute of Eminence framework. The exhibition highlighted technologies and research projects focused on sectors such as:
- Healthcare
- Sustainability
- Semiconductors
- Energy
- Advanced materials
The summit brought together policymakers, researchers, corporate leaders and academic institutions to discuss how research-led innovation can contribute more directly to India's technological and industrial growth.
IIT Madras highlights collaborative ecosystem
Speaking at the summit, IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti said the institute remains at the forefront of research through its Centres of Excellence and Institute of Eminence initiatives. He described the summit as a call for collective action between industry, corporate organisations and academic institutions to help shape India's future technology ecosystem.
Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean of Alumni and Corporate Relations at IIT Madras, said the institute's focus remains on ensuring that research and development reaches the "last mile" to create meaningful societal impact.
The summit also saw the release of the book "Inventing a Better Tomorrow: 25 Years of IIT Madras Impact", documenting the institute's contributions to research, innovation and nation-building.
Technology and Viksit Bharat
The IIT Madras Technology Summit comes at a time when the government is placing greater emphasis on deep-tech capabilities, research commercialisation and industry-academia collaboration. The discussions at the summit reflected a broader policy push to strengthen India's position in sectors linked to advanced technology and research-driven growth.
As India works toward its Viksit Bharat goals, initiatives such as the IIT Madras Technology Summit are increasingly being positioned as platforms to connect research institutions, industry and government in building long-term technological capabilities.