ICC inks MoUs with IIT Bombay and South Korea’s CEPA to expand technology and business collaboration
Industry, Academia and Policymakers call for stronger indigenous R&D and commercialisation of research
The Indian Chamber of Commerce
(ICC) today inaugurated the ICC World Technology Convention 2026 at the Jio
World Convention Centre, Mumbai, bringing together policymakers, industry
leaders, researchers, technology companies and global delegates to deliberate
on India’s evolving technology and innovation ecosystem.
The inaugural session also witnessed the signing of
a bilateral general area of cooperation MoU between ICC and the
Chungcheongnam-do Economic Promotion Agency (CEPA), South Korea, along with an
MoU between ICC and IIT Bombay. The partnership with CEPA is expected to
further strengthen business engagement and bilateral trade relations between
India and South Korea, while the collaboration with IIT Bombay is aimed at
fostering stronger industry-academia linkages across research, innovation,
technology development and entrepreneurship.
Mr. Deepak Bagla,
Mission Director - Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India,
said, "India's innovation movement has shifted decisively from the top
down, and is now being shaped by students in government schools, rural
classrooms, and small-town tinkering labs, building solutions to problems they
live with every day. The more significant story here is not the growing count
of startups. It is the spread of the instinct to innovate, reaching students
and communities that were never part of this conversation before. Aspiration
and problem-solving are no longer the preserve of metro campuses or corporate
R&D centres. The next globally consequential breakthrough may well come
from a district-level classroom, and that possibility calls for a serious,
coordinated effort from industry, academia, government, and capital to give
every young builder a real chance to experiment, fail, and scale."
Professor Milind Atrey,
Deputy Director, IIT Bombay, said, “Research in India cannot remain confined
to laboratories. Academic institutions today have to work more closely with
industry to convert research into products, start-ups and technologies that
solve real problems. IIT Bombay has been strengthening this approach through
translational research, industry partnerships and entrepreneurship-led
innovation, and our collaboration with ICC will further help create stronger
engagement between academia, industry and emerging technology ecosystems.”
Dr. P. Anbalagan,
IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Government of Maharashtra,
said, “Maharashtra is focusing on building a business environment that
supports manufacturing, technology and long-term investments. The state is
seeing strong momentum across sectors such as electronics, EVs, aerospace,
semiconductors, GCCs and data centres, backed by infrastructure expansion,
policy reforms and faster approvals. Our effort is to make the state globally
competitive and create growth beyond traditional industrial clusters.”
Speaking on the growing business engagement between
India and South Korea, Mr. Seungchang Ha, Chief Representative, CEPA
India, said, “There is growing interest among Korean and Indian companies to
work together across manufacturing, automobiles, electronics and startups. The
partnership between CEPA India and ICC will help companies from both countries
connect more directly and explore long-term business opportunities.”
Dr. Sasmit Patra,
Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, Odisha, said, “The future of mining
cannot be driven only by extraction and production targets. The sector will
increasingly be judged on transparency, environmental accountability and
community engagement. Parliamentary discussions around mining governance are already
raising concerns around monitoring, compliance, water management and
sustainable resource utilisation. Technologies under the Mining 5.0 framework
such as AI-driven compliance systems, satellite monitoring, digital mine twins
and predictive analytics can help the industry address these concerns more
responsibly. The mining sector must recognise that growth today cannot come at
the cost of local communities and environmental trust. In an era shaped by
social media and public scrutiny, responsible and technology-led mining
practices will define the sector’s long-term credibility and acceptance.”
Mr. Mangal Lal Chand,
Distinguished Scientist and Director General, Technology Management, DRDO,
said, “India’s defence ecosystem is moving towards greater collaboration
between industry, academia, startups and research institutions. Deep-tech areas
such as drones, semiconductors and advanced electronics will play a major role
in the future of indigenous defence manufacturing. The focus now is on developing
technologies in India, strengthening intellectual property creation and
supporting products that can serve both domestic and global markets.”
Dr. Rajeev Singh, Director General, ICC, said,“Technology
is changing every sector and creating new opportunities for collaboration
between industry, academia and governments. Through the World Technology
Convention, ICC is bringing together stakeholders from across sectors to
exchange ideas, build partnerships and discuss how India can strengthen its
technology and innovation ecosystem further.”
Other eminent dignitaries addressing the inaugural
session included Major Vineet Kumar, Founder & Global President, Cyber
Peace; Mr. Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI
Aayog; Mr. Anil Razdan, Former Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of
India; Dr. Kalirajan S, Managing Director, EDF Nuclear Project India Pvt Ltd; and representatives from sectors including energy, mining, defence, fintech,
healthcare, cybersecurity, logistics and higher education.
Day one of the convention focused on the role of
technology across core industries, manufacturing and public infrastructure
under the broader theme of ‘Technology for Make in India’. The sessions covered
areas such as Energy & Greentech, Mining 5.0, Defence, Aero & Space
Technology, Agritech & Foodtech, MedTech, FinTech, Cyber Risk and Education
Technology, along with dedicated state sessions and B2B meetings. Discussions
throughout the day centred on deep-tech adoption, AI-led industrial transformation,
cybersecurity, indigenous manufacturing, sustainability, digital infrastructure
and industry-academia collaboration across sectors. The day concluded with the
ICC Technology Excellence Awards recognising innovation and technology-led
initiatives across industries.
TAGS : #ICC #Industry
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#SpaceTechnology #Agritech #Foodtech #MedTech,
#FinTech #Cyber Risk #EducationTechnology #B2BMeetings #DeepTech #AIAdoption #AI
#IndustrialTransformation #Cybersecurity #IndigenousManufacturing #Sustainability
#DigitalInfrastructure #ICCTechExcellenceAwards
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