Organized by the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, IIT Kharagpur
19 and 20th January, 2026
The IndiaAI AI Impact Summit is bringing together researchers, industry leaders, startups, and students at an unprecedented scale to accelerate the nation’s AI-driven innovation ecosystem. As part of the pre-summit activities, IIT Kharagpur is uniquely positioned to host a workshop that bridges fundamental research, translational science, and societal needs. With its long legacy in engineering science, computational research, and interdisciplinary problem-solving, IIT Kharagpur provides a fertile environment for catalyzing national efforts aligned with IndiaAI and the ANRF. With advanced HPC infrastructure, leading centers in AI, materials science, biosciences, and atmospheric sciences, a vibrant community of researchers collaborating across disciplines and the brightest students in India; it is a natural hub for shaping India’s AI agenda.
This workshop focuses on three critical domains where AI has the potential to deliver transformative national impact: Accelerated Materials Development, Weather and Climate Modeling, and Bio and Life Sciences. These areas reflect strategic priorities for India, spanning sustainable manufacturing, climate resilience, public health, biotechnology, and agricultural innovation. By convening experts from academia, industry, and government, the workshop aims to foster cross-domain insights, identify high-impact research opportunities, and strengthen India’s capacity to build trustworthy, domain-informed AI systems. In order to foster translational research, the event would aim to organise an elevated pitch from invited startups and create a platform for further large-scale promotion of the leading participants. Hosting this event at IIT Kharagpur not only leverages the institute’s deep expertise and national leadership but also positions it as a key contributor to IndiaAI’s mission of driving equitable, cutting-edge AI innovation for the country and beyond.
The aim of this event will be to touch upon the most important and impactful problems in the domain of Weather and Climate, and how AI can provide solutions. We will have talks by speakers from academia (including IIT Kharagpur), industry - both established and startups, government agencies and think-tanks, with the aim of impressing upon the audience about the main scientific and technological challenges, availability of data and impacts to society. There will be special focus on extreme events (floods, heat waves etc), hyperlocal weather forecasts, and climate change impact assessment and mitigation. After the invited talks, there will be a shark-tank event when the audience members (Faculty and students) will be invited to pitch in with start-up ideas, which will be evaluated by our panel of speakers.
Groups of faculty members and students will be invited to submit a short and formatted proposal. Proposals can be shortlisted for “pitching” by experts in the respective areas. During the event, selected proposals can be pitched to industry delegates. Some of the best proposals can be given awards/seed funding.
List of expert speakers.