The inaugural Impact RISE 2026 Conclave, hosted by Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park, Newtown, concluded successfully today, marking a significant step towards advancing India’s sustainable development agenda through research, innovation, skilling and entrepreneurship (RISE).
Held on January 17–18, 2026 under the theme “Forging Futures: Engineering Social Change – Converging Capital, Innovation, and Action”, the two-day conclave brought together PSU leaders, scientists, academicians, impact investors, policy experts and civil society organisations. The deliberations aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and key national missions, with focus areas including rural development, health and sanitation, education and skilling, clean energy, climate resilience, ecology, tribal affairs, mobility, CSR 2.0 and local governance.
Addressing the conclave, Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur, said that Impact RISE aims to emerge as an annual platform for outcome-driven, technology-enabled partnerships that translate scientific research into national solutions.
Key outcomes of the conclave included the release of the IIT KGP Impact Portfolio, the launch of the Impact RISE Impact Venture Fund to support scalable social-impact ventures, and the unveiling of the Paani Bawni initiative along with book releases on water conservation.
MoUs were also signed with Texmaco Rail & Engineering Limited and the Indian Chamber of Commerce to foster long-term collaboration.
The conclave also saw the launch of SUS10 initiatives from IIT Kharagpur, encompassing new startups, sustainability certification programmes and campus development projects aimed at progressing towards a net-zero campus, along with a youth entrepreneurship programme offering large-scale undergraduate internships.