A platform led by doctors, educators, and corporate executives will host a two-day conference in London in October to discuss global issues, including climate change and healthcare.

The event will also provide young Indian start-ups a chance to showcase their ideas to a worldwide audience.

Indi Setu, the summit, will include conversations, presentations, and pitches by university students from India.

In its inaugural edition this year, the organisers are focusing on collaborations in the fields of healthcare and conservation of forests and wildlife, and cities, said Amit Ghose, founder-director of the Global Collaboration Forum, which came into being in the summer of 2024.

In the lead-up to this summit, a curtain-raiser was held in the city last week.

It stressed the power of collaboration and how India-UK partnerships can drive innovation and sustainability.

“I have always believed in the transformative power of networking and the results it yields,” said Ghose, a urologist with Apollo Multispeciality Hospital.

One of the most exciting features of this summit is the Planet Pitch — a nationwide challenge that empowers young Indian start-ups to present sustainability-focused solutions to global audiences.

The registration for the pitches can be done through the Indi Setu website. The initial rounds will be held in Calcutta. Two start-ups will be selected. “They will make online pitches to the London audience. They will be funded if the investors like their ideas,” said Ghose.

The organisers said they aim to make Indi Setu an annual cultural and networking festival under the broad themes of innovation and collaboration.

In the two-day summit in London, scheduled for October 10 and 11, professors from UK’s top universities, authors, and wildlife conservation workers will deliberate on their areas of work.

“India is now a leader in many sectors, especially in IT. We have also progressed well in healthcare, though there are deficiencies. In the two-day summit, we will showcase our achievements. We will also seek ideas and collaborations,” Ghose.

An area of interest is how AI can take healthcare to remote areas. It will help a country like India, where access to healthcare is a challenge.

“AI can help in triage and even treatment depending on the situation. A specialist in Calcutta can advise next steps to a patient in a remote village in Bengal with the help of AI,” one of the organisers said.