CFTeAI 2026

CFTeAI 2026 – Inaugural

The inaugural session of Co-Creating the Future of Tech with Academia and Industry (CFTeAI) 2026 brought together distinguished leaders Dr. Ashutosh Sharma (CFT Chair and IIT Kanpur Chair Professor), Dr. Ekta Kapoor (Head, Scientist 'G' National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), DST), Dr. Akhilesh Gupta (Former Secretary, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) DST), and Dr. Subhrajit Dey (Global Head, Strategy Excellence, Group Corporate Strategy at Shell) to discuss the future of technology through academia–industry collaboration.

Organized by the Center for Future Tech (CFT) at BEST Innovation University and powered by Techademy, CFTeAI 2026 is driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and shaping India's future technology ecosystem.

Session I - CFTeAI 2026

The journey of Co-Creating the Future of Tech with Academia and Industry (CFTeAI) 2026 begins with an inspiring session featuring presentations from eminent leaders from IIT ihubs and the technology ecosystem.

The session brings together distinguished voices:

• Mr. Manish Anand – CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Board Member, Divyasampark iHub Device Material and Technology, IIT Roorkee
• Mr. Sunil Bhand – Director, BITS BioCyTiH Foundation, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
• Mr. Saishyam Narayanan – CEO, IIT Palakkad Technology iHub Foundation, Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad
• Ms. Radhika Trikha – CEO, IIT Ropar Technology and Innovation Foundation, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar
• Mr. Santhosh Reddy – HEO, NMICPS TiHAN Foundation, IIT Hyderabad (TiHAN-IITH)

Building connections. Creating impact. Co-creating the future of technology.

Panel I | Future Talent for a $35 Trillion Economy | CFTeAI 2026

As technology continues to reshape industries and create new opportunities, developing future-ready talent is essential for building a resilient and innovation-driven economy.

Chair:

• Dr. Anju Gupta – Partner, IvyCap Ventures; Head, Global IIT Bangalore

Panelists:

• Mr. Jitendra Chaddah – Retired Managing Director & India Country Head, GlobalFoundries India
• Mr. Hanumesh VJ – Associate Vice President, Infosys Ltd
• Mr. Bibhuti Patnaik – Talent Transformation, Learning & Development, Technology Skilling, Wipro
• Ms. Mary Andrews – AI Capability Strategist, Global Talent Transformation Leader, Building Future-Ready Workforces, Human Ingenuity Amplified by AI
• Mr. Roopesh Kumar B – Principal Director, Learning & Development, LTM – KSOU

Session II - CFTeAI-2026

Session II of CFTeAI-2026 brings together leaders from premier technology innovation hubs and institutions to explore advancements and emerging opportunities in the future technology landscape.

Session Chair:

• Mr. Sridhar Pillalamarri – CEO, IIITB COMET Foundation, International Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru

Distinguished Speakers:

• Mr. Narendra Nath Dutta – CEO, IIT Guwahati Technology Innovation and Development Foundation (TIH, IIT Guwahati)
• Prof. Anand Iyamperumal Palani – Director, IITI DRISHTI CPS Foundation, Indian Institute of Technology Indore
• Mr. Suraj Prakash – Technology Innovation in Exploration & Mining Foundation, Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad
• Dr. Anand Handa – Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), C3iHub, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur)

Organised by the Center for Future Tech (CFT) - BEST Innovation University and powered by Techademy, CFTeAI 2026 continues to create a platform for collaboration between academia, industry, and innovation leaders to accelerate technology-driven transformation.

Connecting Ideas. Enabling Innovation. Co-Creating the Future.

Panel II | From Research to Real-World Impact (CFTeAI 2026)

How do breakthrough ideas move from research labs to real-world innovation? Join an engaging panel discussion featuring leaders from AI, venture capital, industry, and technology as they share insights on translating research into impactful solutions.

Chair:

• Dr. Shrikant Bhatt – Member LITD30/BIS; Expert, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42: Artificial Intelligence

Panelists:

• Mr. Navin Manaswi – AI Expert, Digital Twins
• Mr. Vinay Peshwa – CortexSparx Ventures
• Mr. Subhashis Banerjee – Co-Founder, Bharat1.ai
• Mr. Roopesh Kumar B – Principal Director, Learning & Development LTM, KSOU
• Ms. Mary Andrews – AI Capability Strategist; Global Talent Transformation Leader, Building Future-Ready Workforces, Huma

Organised by the Center for Future Tech (CFT) – BEST Innovation University and powered by Techademy, CFTeAI 2026 continues to foster collaboration between academia, industry, startups, and innovation leaders to accelerate technology-driven transformation.

Connecting Ideas. Enabling Innovation. Co-Creating the Future.

Session III | CFTeAI 2026

Continuing the journey of Co-Creating the Future of Tech with Academia and Industry (CFTeAI) 2026, Session III brings together visionary leaders from India's leading IIT iHubs and innovation foundations to share insights on advancing research, entrepreneurship, deep-tech innovation, and collaborative technology ecosystems.

Chair:

• Dr. M. J. Shankar Raman – CEO, IITM Pravartak Technology Foundation, IIT Madras

Speakers:

• Mr. Dipyaman Banerjee – CEO, AI4ICPS, IIT Kharagpur
• Mr. Somjit Amrit – CEO & Director, IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation
• Dr. Santosh Biswas – Director, IIT Bhilai Innovation and Technology Foundation, IIT Bhilai
• Dr. Roshan Srivastava – Associate Professor, IIT Tirupati; Project Director, IITTNiF
• Mr. Rohit Batra – Head, Startup Ecosystem, iHub Foundation for Cobotics, IIT Delhi
• Mr. Nishant Agarwal – Head, Finance & Accounts, iHub Foundation for Cobotics, IIT Delhi

Organised by the Center for Future Tech (CFT) – BEST Innovation University and powered by Techademy, CFTeAI 2026 continues to strengthen the bridge between academia, industry, startups, and innovation leaders to accelerate technology-driven transformation.

Collaborating for innovation. Building the future. Driving impact.

Concluding Session | CFTeAI 2026

As CFTeAI 2026 concludes, the final session brings together distinguished leaders to reflect on the conference's key insights, celebrate collaborative achievements, and reaffirm the shared vision of driving technology-led innovation through academia, industry, and entrepreneurship.

Speakers:

• Mr. Bharat Lal Meena – Chairman, BEST Innovation University
• Mr. Sreekara Indavara Poornesh – Founder, Director & Chief Entrepreneur, WMG
• Dr. Ashutosh Sharma – Scientific Chair, Center for Future Tech (CFT)

Organised by the Center for Future Tech (CFT) – BEST Innovation University and powered by Techademy, CFTeAI 2026 celebrates the power of collaboration in shaping the future of technology, innovation, and talent.

Reflecting on ideas. Celebrating innovation. Shaping the future.