NEW DELHI/ CHENNAI, 5th May 2026: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education (MoE), Government of India, inaugurated IIT Madras’ first ever Technology Summit held in New Delhi today (5th May 2026) at Bharat Mandapam.
Inaugurated under the theme “From IITM. For Bharat. Building Together.”, the IIT Madras Technology Summit 2026 boldly aimed to build a collaborative framework for industry-academia-government partnerships to design, develop, and deploy technologies that will shape India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat.
The summit brought together leaders from government, industry and academia to co-create technology-led pathways for India’s development. The newly launched centres reflect a strategic push to translate cutting-edge research into scalable, real-world solutions.
Commending IIT Madras for organising this Technology Summit with a focus on Viksit Bharat, Chief Guest Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Government of India, said, “India’s innovation ecosystem is at a crucial turning point. Institutions like IIT Madras have been given mandates as responsible bodies to drive research through Centres of Excellence, reflecting the Government’s strong commitment to strengthening research infrastructure. However, priorities are now shifting. Research should not remain confined to academic theses but it must translate into real-world products and solutions. India’s talent pool is already leading globally in many ways, but the time has come to reform and modernize the entire innovation process.”
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan added, “IIT Madras has demonstrated how premier institutions can align research with national priorities. Through its Centres of Excellence and this Technology Summit, it is taking forward the mandate of transforming research into innovation that directly impacts society and contributes to the vision of Viksit Bharat.”
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said, “A key question remains - why are we not innovating enough within our own country? Science and technology must move to the forefront of national development, with a human-centric approach that brings tangible benefits to society. India has immense potential to lead globally, especially through its premier institutions like the IITs. Significant investments such as a proposed ₹1 lakh crore fund for research and development, are being directed toward the private sector and startups. Many successful startups and unicorns have already emerged from IIT campuses, highlighting the strength of this ecosystem. Despite this, there is a gap. Much of the technology developed by Indian talent abroad is being purchased back by Indian industries from foreign markets. This indicates a need to build and invest in our own products domestically. With a strong internal market, India has the advantage of being both producer and consumer.”
The summit showcased research and innovation from IIT Madras through its 15 Centres of Excellence, research initiatives and interdisciplinary schools. It also convened industry leaders, policymakers and academia in meaningful panel discussions and expert talks in key domains such as sustainability, semiconductors, industry-academia collaboration, and skilling for the AI economy.
TECHNOLOGY FOR BHARAT: SUMMIT VISION
IIT Madras has emerged as a leader in fostering industry–academia collaboration through its strong research ecosystem that is focused on delivering National impact. Under the Government of India’s ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) scheme, the institute has established 15 Centres of Excellence and mobilised over ₹950 crore in research funding. These efforts have resulted in more than 240 patents and the creation of over 40 deep-tech startups in the past seven years.
Welcoming Industry from all over India and the world to work with IIT Madras, its Director Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “The IIT Madras Technology Summit 2026 is a call to action for industry, corporate firms and academia, including institutions like IIT Madras, to come together to build Bharat’s future. Today, IIT Madras is at the forefront of research and innovation through our IoE CoEs and other centres driving high-impact research with significant patents, funding, publications, and startups. IIT Madras has a pivotal role to play as the Nation gears up for the next phase of work towards a Viksit Bharat. Through this Summit, we reiterate our commitment to the Nation — to rally collaborations and partnerships with industry, corporates, and policymakers, and to fast-track our journey towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
In the spirit of translating research and innovation to advance Nation building, IIT Madras also announced partnerships with industry leaders – NTPC, BPCL and HSBC, to launch research centres to advance healthcare tech and enabling a sustainable future.
The centres were inaugurated by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education, in the presence of Guest of Honour Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Education and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), Prof. V. Kamakoti, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, Mr. Kaviraj Nair, CEO - Office of Institutional Advancement (OIA), IIT Madras, Ms. Vasudha Narasimhan, VP-Corporate Relations, OIA, IIT Madras, Faculty members from the Institute, industry leaders and other stakeholders.
Dr Sanjay Kumar, Secretary - School Education & Literacy, MoE, Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary - Higher Education, MoE, Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary – Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, and leadership teams from NTPC, BPCL and HSBC were also present on the occasion.
Elaborating on what makes IIT Madras the long-time leader in the country in research, innovation and entrepreneurship, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras’ strong growth in research and innovation is driven by our clear undeterred focus in translating it into real-world solutions for societal impact. The success of our IoE Centres of Excellence stands testament to the fact that real impact happens when research and development reaches the last mile. Our industry partners understand that collaboration with IIT Madras means building together for a Viksit Bharat, and this collaborative ecosystem nurtured through these partnerships is what makes us leaders in this space.”
In addition, IIT Madras announced Bodhan AI, a Centre of Excellence for AI in Education, incubated as a Section 8 company and supported by the Ministry of Education. The initiative is building the Bharat EduAI Stack, a sovereign digital public infrastructure for education, with a national mission to train over 1 million teachers in AI-enabled teaching by 2027.
The inaugural session also saw the launch of the book “Inventing a Better Tomorrow: 25 Years of IIT Madras Impact”, documenting the institute’s contributions to research, innovation, and nation-building.
Speaking on IIT Madras’ strong partnership with industry, Mr Kaviraj Nair, CEO, Office of Institutional Advancement said, “At IIT Madras, corporate collaboration today goes far beyond traditional grant-making. It begins with deeper problem-framing, draws upon interdisciplinary research across science, engineering and entrepreneurship, and focuses on translating ideas from laboratories into real-world solutions. Supported by strong governance and measurable impact, such partnerships create value for industry—providing access to frontier knowledge while advancing credible, long-term pathways for technology-led societal progress for India’s future growth.”
BRIEF ABOUT THE CENTRES
1. NTPC Centre for Cardiovascular Research: Supported by NTPC Limited, this centre aims to address India’s growing cardiovascular disease burden through advanced research, indigenous device development and clinical translation. Early work includes identifying India-specific genetic risk factors and developing digital twin-based cardiac simulations, enabling non-invasive diagnostics and improved rural healthcare delivery. It will also work towards building a national cardiac biobank and reducing dependence on imported medical devices.
2. BPCL Centre for Next-Gen Technologies for Robotic Assisted Surgeries – YANTRAS: Backed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), YANTRAS will drive innovation in robotic-assisted surgeries, including joint, spine, and neuro procedures. Equipped with 34 advanced systems, the centre will support training, simulation, and validation of next-gen surgical technologies, while enabling indigenous product development and startup incubation in medical robotics.
3. HSBC Centre for Resource Efficiency, Recyclability & Circularity in Energy Transition: Supported by HSBC, this centre will focus on sustainable energy transitions by advancing technologies for resource efficiency, recyclability, and circularity. The initiative aims to deliver scalable, accessible solutions aligned with India’s clean energy and climate goals.
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