IInvenTiv 2026

As the momentum of IInvenTiv 2026 continues, this edition stands out as one of the most defining and outcome-driven chapters in the platform’s journey.

Hosted at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, IIT Bhubaneswar, and IIT Patna, the fourth edition brought together 200+ stalls showcasing innovations, startup’s and women entrepreneurs, 55+ founders, 200+ student innovators, 20+ VCs, 60+ industry leaders, 100+ executives, 106+ faculty members, 35–40 deans, 500+ visitors, and 1,000+ delegates, along with 17 Directors, including 14 from IITs, 1 from IIEST, 1 from NIT, and 1 from CSIR, along with other institutional leaders.

A defining moment was the presence of the Chief Guest, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Hon’ble Governor of Jharkhand, who inaugurated the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) CoE and the ReNew CoE.

A major outcome was the strong translation of research into partnerships, and commercialisation pathways.

5 MoUs worth nearly ₹15 crore were signed with IIT (ISM) Dhanbad in partnership with Simon India, Kaynes Semicon, Netweb, TechBond, and Hycon, advancing emerging technology capabilities.

Further accelerating this, TEXMiN enabled 4 additional MoUs worth ₹10 crore with NTPC Mining, Agilent, Anton Paar, and Tecknotrove, strengthening the ecosystem through multiple COEs and capability-building initiatives.

A historic first was the ₹16.5 crore startup funding support through TEXMiN, marking the first-ever on-the-spot funding commitments in IInvenTiv’s history. Spry, MaxelS Tekventures, RESCMM & Tech Solutions, NAVAXON Technologies, and Velastra received seed funding and incubation support.

The startup-to-investment pipeline also expanded through 71 VC matchmaking participants, with 15 shortlisted for advanced funding discussions.

Across two days, the event featured roundtables, plenary sessions, thematic panel discussions across five key themes, startup pitches, A2B matchmaking, IIT-led showcases, technology demonstration zones, and one-to-one investor interactions, along with discussions on initiatives like National Health Stack.

The technology demonstration zones were major highlights, contributing to the highest-ever showcase of 190 innovations and startups, including 150 institutional innovations from IITs (110), NITs (23), IISER, and other institutions.

Delegates also visited the TEXMiN ecosystem, 3DMine Experience Centre, geological museum, seismological observatory, gaining an immersive view of the innovation infrastructure at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad.

The event also welcomed 150 school students, teachers, and principals from Jharkhand, adding a strong outreach & future innovation dimension.

Thank you to innovators, students, founders, faculty, deans, industry leaders, VCs, policymakers, institutional partners, organising teams, and distinguished guests for making this edition historic.

The event may have concluded, but what has been built here is only beginning its next chapter

Another defining milestone during IInvenTiv 2026 was the inauguration of the ReNew Centre of Excellence at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad by the Hon’ble Governor of Jharkhand, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, in the presence of Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Ms. Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder, ReNew, and other distinguished delegates.

The Centre marks a significant step forward in future-focused skilling, sustainable energy innovation, and inclusive transition pathways for coal-bearing regions, aligning strongly with the spirit of innovation, institution-building, and national impact witnessed throughout IInvenTiv 2026.

Built on the strong foundation of Project ReNew Surya, which has already empowered 350+ women from coal mining communities with solar skills, the Centre will now scale this flagship initiative with the ambitious vision of enabling 10,000 individuals by 2030 to transition into clean energy livelihoods.

Through focused capability building in Solar PV installation, project management, and operations & maintenance, this initiative demonstrates how industry, academia, and social impact can come together to create future-ready opportunities at scale.

We sincerely thank ReNew team for their vision and partnership in advancing this meaningful initiative toward sustainable and inclusive impact.

Stay tuned as we share more highlights and inspiring success stories from the event.

A major milestone at IInvenTiv 2026 that deserves special mention was yesterday’s inauguration of the Wadhwani–IIT (ISM) Dhanbad Innovation Centre on Critical Minerals by the Hon’ble Governor of Jharkhand, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar.

The inauguration carries national significance, coming at a pivotal time when critical minerals are becoming central to India’s clean energy transition, advanced manufacturing, and strategic technology ambitions. This Centre is a timely and future-ready step towards strengthening the country’s capabilities in one of the most important sectors of the decade.

Backed by a USD 5 million commitment from the Wadhwani Foundation over 5 years, the Centre will accelerate innovation across the full value chain, from extraction and beneficiation to recycling, AI-enabled mine inspection, real-time gas hazard monitoring, digital twins for live mining operations, and recovery of critical minerals from spent EV batteries, and much more.

The event was graced by the esteemed presence of Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad; Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director, Wadhwani Innovation Network; Shreya Sanghvi Malik, Program Head, Wadhwani Innovation Network; Hitesh Kumar, Global Marketing Director, Wadhwani Foundation; Prof. Sagar Pal, Principal Investigator; Prof Ejaz Ahmad, Co-Principal Investigator, Prof. Siddharth Agarwal, Co-Principal Investigator; along with Mr. Abhik Chatterjee, Hub Director; Mr. Atul Kumar, Programme Manager, Wadhwani Innovation Network Centre of Excellence; and other distinguished delegates from industry and academia.

What makes this milestone especially relevant to IInvenTiv 2026 is how clearly it demonstrates the event’s larger purpose: enabling research-led collaborations that can translate into real-world national capability.

With IIT (ISM) Dhanbad’s deep mining expertise and strong ecosystem partnerships, this Centre of Excellence is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to India’s critical minerals ecosystem and clean energy future.

A sincere thank you to the Wadhwani Foundation and Wadhwani Innovation Network team for their trust, support, and gracious presence during this landmark inauguration.

As we continue reflecting on the many defining moments from Day 1 of IInvenTiv 2026, one of its most significant milestones was the formal inauguration of the event by the Hon’ble Governor of Jharkhand, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar.

His gracious presence and inaugural address further reinforced the role of research, innovation, and institutional collaboration in shaping India’s future.

The inaugural session was further strengthened by the presence and addresses of distinguished Guests of Honour representing government, industry, healthcare, sustainability, and the wider innovation ecosystem, including:
✦ Dr. Sunil K. Barnwal (IAS), CEO, National Health Authority
✦ Shri Athar Shahab, MD, Zuari Industries Limited
✦ Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, MD, Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN), Wadhwani Foundation
✦ Shri Sandeep Kumar, Vice President (RM), Tata Steel
✦ Ms. Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder, ReNew

Together, their perspectives added greater depth to the national conversation around research-led growth, innovation deployment, and cross-sector collaboration.

A defining highlight of the session was the inauguration of the Technology Demonstration Zones, where 150+ innovations from IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISERs, AIIMS, and other leading institutions were showcased, giving delegates, academia, industry leaders, and investors a first-hand view of breakthrough research moving toward real-world deployment and scalable impact.

Following this, the focus shifted to long-term ecosystem building with the inauguration of the Wadhwani Innovation Network Centre of Excellence and the ReNew Centre of Excellence at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, both launched by the Hon’ble Governor. These Centres of Excellence mark an important step in strengthening IIT (ISM)’s innovation ecosystem and creating stronger pathways between research, entrepreneurship, and industry partnerships.

Day 1 was truly packed with landmark moments, from the inaugural session and technology showcases to plenary discussions, ecosystem launches, and high-impact collaborations. This post captures one important chapter of the day, and we look forward to bringing many more highlights, breakthrough sessions, and defining moments from IInvenTiv 2026 in the upcoming posts.

Even before the formal inauguration, Day 1 of IInvenTiv 2026 had already begun bringing the platform’s vision to life by uniting research, institutions, industry, and startups to drive real-world impact.

The day opened with a powerful roundtable featuring Directors of leading IITs and NITs, venture capital leaders, and industry experts, all coming together to discuss how research, development, and innovation can scale strategic sectors for national progress.

It was an honour to have:
● Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras
● Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi
● Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay
● Prof. Devendra Jalihal, Director, IIT Guwahati
● Prof. S. Joshi, Director, IIT Indore
● Prof. Rajiv Prakash, Director, IIT Bhilai
● Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar
● Prof. Dhirendra S. Katti, Director, IIT Goa
● Prof. K. N. Satyanarayana, Director, IIT Tirupati
● Prof. V. R. Desai, Director, IIT Dharwad
● Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
● Prof. T. N. Singh, Director, IIT Patna
● Prof. Amit Patra, Director, IIT (BHU) Varanasi
● Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur
● Prof. Ravi B., Director, NIT Karnataka
● Prof. V. M. S. R. Murthy, Director, IIEST Shibpur
● Shri Sreehari Babu, Founder & CEO, HyCon Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.
● Ms. Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder, ReNew
● Shri Naveen Jain, CEO, NML (NTPC Mining)
● Ms. Namami Ghosh, IvyCap Ventures
● Dr. F. Tarannum, Lead – Climate Tech and Sustainability, Simon India Ltd.
● Shri Siddharth Garg, Senior VP, GEF Capital Ventures

A special thanks to Dr. Debashish Bhattacharjee, Lionstead Ventures, for leading this important roundtable discussion.

The momentum continued with the exchange of multiple MoUs between IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and other leading institutions, followed by the signing of four strategic MoUs, the incubation of five promising startups, and seed fund disbursement through TEXMiN, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad’s innovation and startup ecosystem. These milestones are helping transform breakthrough ideas into the next wave of scalable ventures and deployable solutions.

And honestly, this is just the beginning.

Stay tuned as we continue bringing you the defining moments, powerful conversations, and breakthrough collaborations shaping India’s innovation future.

We are honoured to welcome Shri Raghu Panicker, CEO, Kaynes Semicon, as the Guest of Honour for IInvenTiv 2026.

At a time when India’s semiconductor journey is rapidly moving from ambition to ex*****on, his presence brings a powerful perspective on how chip innovation, packaging, and advanced manufacturing are shaping the country’s deep-tech future.

This becomes especially significant as semiconductors and chip technologies are one of the core themes of IInvenTiv 2026.

His perspective will add immense value to conversations around talent, research translation, electronics innovation, and the ecosystem partnerships required to strengthen India’s semiconductor future.

➥ IInvenTiv 2026
➥ Date: 6–7 April 2026
➥ Venue: IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

For more details, visit the IInvenTiv 2026 website: https://iinventiv.iitism.ac.in/

Or please connect with:
➣ Prof. Parthasarathi Das, Dean (R&D), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Convenor, IInvenTiv 2026
➣ Prof. Ejaz Ahmad, Professor-in-Charge, SRIC, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Organising Secretary, IInvenTiv 2026

Email: [email protected]

With IInvenTiv 2026 beginning tomorrow, we look forward to hosting you for conversations, technologies, and partnerships shaping India’s semiconductor future.

We are honoured to welcome Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, Chief Executive Officer, National Health Authority, as the Guest of Honour for IInvenTiv 2026.

As the leader driving India’s national digital health and healthcare assurance ecosystem, his presence brings a powerful perspective on how innovation can create impact at population scale through technology, access, and public infrastructure.

As healthcare innovation remains one of the core themes of IInvenTiv 2026, his perspective will add immense value to conversations around health-tech, digital public infrastructure, AI in healthcare, and how research can move beyond pilots to systems that improve lives at scale.

➥ IInvenTiv 2026
➥ Date: 6–7 April 2026
➥ Venue: IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

For more details, visit the IInvenTiv 2026 website: https://iinventiv.iitism.ac.in/

Or please connect with:
➣ Prof. Parthasarathi Das, Dean (R&D), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Convenor, IInvenTiv 2026
➣ Prof. Ejaz Ahmad, Professor-in-Charge, SRIC, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Organising Secretary, IInvenTiv 2026

Email: [email protected]

As IInvenTiv 2026 begins day after tomorrow, we look forward to the ideas and innovations that can redefine healthcare access, delivery, and impact at scale.

We are honoured to welcome Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director, Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN), Wadhwani Foundation, as the Guest of Honour for IInvenTiv 2026.

With over three decades of leadership across innovation ecosystems, technology transfer, global philanthropy, and public science missions, his presence brings a highly relevant perspective on how research can move from laboratories to large-scale societal impact.

Having led national missions such as Mission COVID Suraksha, which played a critical role in the development of four indigenous COVID-19 vaccines, his journey powerfully reflects how science, partnerships, and translational pathways can create impact at scale.

At IInvenTiv 2026, where institutions, startups, industry, and investors come together, his insights will add immense value to conversations around AI, health technologies, deep science innovation, commercialisation pathways, and the ecosystems that bridge science, policy, and entrepreneurship.

➥ IInvenTiv 2026
➥ Date: 6–7 April 2026
➥ Venue: IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

For more details, visit the IInvenTiv 2026 website: https://iinventiv.iitism.ac.in/

Or please connect with:
➣ Prof. Parthasarathi Das, Dean (R&D), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Convenor, IInvenTiv 2026
➣ Prof. Ejaz Ahmad, Professor-in-Charge, SRIC, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Organising Secretary, IInvenTiv 2026

Email: [email protected]

With IInvenTiv 2026 beginning day after tomorrow, we look forward to hosting leaders, researchers, and innovators for conversations that can shape the next wave of science-led impact.

We are pleased to welcome Shri Athar Shahab, Managing Director, Zuari Industries Limited, as the Guest of Honour for IInvenTiv 2026.

His presence reflects the growing importance of bringing industry and innovation closer in a more practical, outcome-driven way.

At IInvenTiv 2026, where ideas steadily move towards real-world application and scalable impact, his perspective will bring valuable context to how stronger partnerships can accelerate innovation deployment.

As academia, innovators, and industry leaders converge on one platform, such conversations become critical in shaping pathways from promising ideas to implementation.

➥ IInvenTiv 2026
➥ Date: 6–7 April 2026
➥ Venue: IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

For more details, visit the IInvenTiv 2026 website: https://iinventiv.iitism.ac.in/

Or please connect with:
➣ Prof. Parthasarathi Das, Dean (R&D), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Convenor, IInvenTiv 2026
➣ Prof. Ejaz Ahmad, Professor-in-Charge, SRIC, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Organising Secretary, IInvenTiv 2026

Email: [email protected]

As we count down to the event, stay connected with IInvenTiv 2026 for more voices shaping India’s innovation ecosystem.

We are honoured to welcome Ms. Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder, ReNew, as the Guest of Honour for IInvenTiv 2026.

Her work in advancing sustainability and social inclusion highlights how innovation can solve real-world challenges at scale.

At IInvenTiv 2026, where ideas move closer to real-world application, her perspective will add valuable insights on building impact with purpose and creating pathways for innovation that are both scalable and sustainable.

We look forward to her insights as academia, innovators, and industry leaders come together to shape solutions for a more sustainable future.

➥ IInvenTiv 2026
➥ Date: 6–7 April 2026
➥ Venue: IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

For more details, visit the IInvenTiv 2026 website: https://iinventiv.iitism.ac.in/

Or please connect with:
➣ Prof. Parthasarathi Das, Dean (R&D), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Convenor, IInvenTiv 2026
➣ Prof. Ejaz Ahmad, Professor-in-Charge, SRIC, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Organising Secretary, IInvenTiv 2026

Email: [email protected]

As we count down to 6 April, the spotlight now turns to the ideas, partnerships, and industrial pathways that can move innovation closer to ex*****on.