Watch Highlights of the CSR Conclave 2026

As India celebrated its 80th Independence Day, the national narrative is shifting from intent to execution. For corporate leaders, the challenge is clear: how to deploy CSR mandates to move beyond traditional charity and directly fuel a self-reliant, tech-sovereign, India.

The 5th Annual CSR Conclave 2026, with the theme Technology for Nation Building, held at the IIT Bombay Research Park (ASPIRE), was the crucible for this shift. With over 180 corporate delegates in the room, the event made one thing evident: The most impactful CSR today is driven by deep-tech institutional partnership.

Setting the Vision: Leadership in Action

 

The Conclave was anchored by industry-forward perspectives from those leading the charge in national development:

Setting the Stage: Prof. Shireesh B. Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay, opened the floor by highlighting the Institute’s laser focus on research that delivers immediate societal and industrial impact.

The Blueprint for Growth: Mr. Ashish Bhandari, MD & CEO, Thermax Limited, delivered the inaugural address, providing a strategic view on how industry-academia collaboration is no longer optional. It is the engine for building technology-driven, sustainable solutions for the nation.

Innovation & Strategy: Mr. Rizwan Koita, Chairperson, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH),  Co-founder and Director, Koita Foundation, shared high-level insights on leveraging strategic partnerships and technological innovation to solve India’s most complex developmental challenges at scale.

Roadmap to Actionable R&D

The Conclave served as the launchpad for the Annual CSR Catalogue 2026, a comprehensive portfolio of 400 research project collaboration opportunities.

Mr. Ravishankar Gedela, CEO, IIT Bombay Development and Relations Foundation (IITB-DRF), outlined exactly how corporates can engage with the Institute. His presentation was a direct call to move from passive funding to active co-creation, leveraging IIT Bombay’s research ecosystem to de-risk your innovation pipeline, meet ESG mandates, and deliver tangible results.

Click here to download the 2026-2027 CSR Catalogue.

Strategic Deep-Dives: Fireside & Panel Insights

Key Moments from the Panel Discussions and Fireside Chats

FIRESIDE CHATS

The Fireside Chats brought together leaders from industry and academia for candid conversations on how technology, strategic partnerships, and long-term thinking can create measurable business and societal impact. The two focused chats included:

AI for Manufacturing

Mr. Sharad Sanghi, Co-founder and CEO, Neysa Networks Pvt. Ltd., and Prof. Mani Bhushan, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay, moved past the hype to address the practicalities of using AI to drive industrial competitiveness.

Strategic Partnership at IIT Bombay in Conversation with Honeywell

Ms. Swapna Ananth, Director HR – Corporate Functions & India CSR Leader, Honeywell, and Prof. Bakul Rao, Head, Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (C-TARA), IIT Bombay, framed CSR as a long-term partnership model that yields measurable ROI and meaningful social progress.

CSR’s Next Act: Bridging India’s Innovation Act

Mr. Ravishankar Gedela, CEO, IIT Bombay Development and Research Foundation (IITB-DRF), and Mr. Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, CEO & Co-founder, Sattva Consulting, discussed the future of CSR and how it is helping to bridge India’s innovation gap.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

A major highlight of the conclave was a series of thought-provoking panel discussions featuring leaders from industry, academia, healthcare, technology, and the CSR ecosystem. Together, these conversations examined how innovation, investment, and collaboration can accelerate India’s development journey while ensuring that growth remains inclusive and sustainable. The discussions included:

India’s Deep Tech Moment

The discussion explored how purposeful partnerships are shaping India’s path toward global leadership in frontier technologies.

Moderator

Prof. Milind Atrey, Deputy Director – Academics, Research and Translation (ART), IIT Bombay

Panellists

Ms. Aloka Majumdar, MD & Head of Sustainability, HSBC India
Mr. Amit Sharma, MD & CEO, Tata Consulting Engineers
Mr. Apoorwa Kapse, Director and Site Lead, Marvell Technology
Mr. Ashish Bhandari, MD & CEO, Thermax Limited

Tech Sovereignty in a Connected World

The panel examined how frontier technologies move from capability to real-world strategic and societal outcomes.

Moderator

Prof. Upendra Bhandarkar, Dean – Alumni and Corporate Relations (ACR), IIT Bombay

Panellists

Mr. Chandan Jha, Circle CEO – Mumbai, Indus Towers
Ms. Deepa Nagaraj, Senior Vice President & Head – ESG, Sparkle Innovation Ecosystem and Communications, Mphasis
Mr. GV Rao, Director CSR & External Industry Affairs, Volvo Group India
Mr. Niraj P. Bhukhanwala, Managing Director, Bhukhanvala Industries Pvt. Ltd.

 

Technology for Equitable Growth

The panel focused on how AI, diagnostics, and digital health are reshaping access, affordability, and inclusion.

Moderator

Prof. Ashutosh Kumar, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay

Panellists

Dr. Akhilesh Sharma, President & Chief Medical Officer, Alkem Laboratories
Mr. Amit Gupta, Head Corporate Strategy & Product, Indegene
Ms. Meera Rajeevan, COO, VIDYADHAN, Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives
Dr. Pooja Agrawal, Program Director, BFI Biome Network

From Prototypes to Progress: Experiencing Innovation First-Hand

 

The day concluded with immersive tours of IIT Bombay’s research facilities. These visits offered a unique opportunity to witness the groundbreaking work underway across diverse domains, allowing delegates to engage directly with researchers, faculty members, and innovators. The showcases included:

‎A- Sustainability Lab & Facility Tour

Aerosol & Nanoparticle Technology Laboratory (ANTL)
Battery Research Facility
Biomass Palletisation & Gasification for Clean Cooking
CCUS 3TPD Pilot Plant (Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage)
Environmental Geotechnology Laboratory

‎B- Healthcare & MedTech Innovation Lab Tour

Biomedical Engineering & Technology Innovation Centre (BETIC)
Koita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH)

C- Specialised Skilling Tour

Educational Outreach Office
IDC School of Design
MakerSpace @ IIT Bombay

‎D- Rural Development & Livelihoods Tour

SuMIR Lab & SHBRI Initiative at the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (C-TARA)
Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD)

E– CSR in Action at IIT Bombay

Citadel Securities Quantitative Research Lab
HiMedia Bioinnovation Laboratory
INOX Cryogenics Research Laboratory
TANDEM Laboratory (CSR Support: Indus Towers and Waaree Energies)
These visits served as a powerful reminder of the critical role that academic research and industry collaboration play in driving innovation for nation-building.

Recognising Our Partners in Nation-Building

Meaningful impact requires more than capital; it requires the convergence of corporate vision, institutional expertise, and a shared commitment to creating lasting change.

IIT Bombay was delighted to honour the contributions of several of our CSR partners at the Conclave, including:

Alkem Foundation for collaborating with IIT Bombay to establish the Alkem Centre for Advanced Research and Development of Applied Immuno-Therapeutics and Regenerative Medicines.
Bank of America for partnering with the Institute to establish the Department of Economics Innovation Lab.
Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation for contributing towards the Honeywell Centre of Excellence for Future Skills & Innovation.
India Infoline Limited (IIFL) for partnering with the Institute to support student scholarships.
Mphasis F1 Foundation for collaborating with the Institute to establish the Mphasis AI & Cybersecurity Research Co-Lab for Financial Services.
Optiver for supporting the IIT Bombay-Optiver AI Innovation Lab.
Several of our corporate partners who were unable to attend the Conclave were also felicitated for their invaluable contributions to CSR initiatives at IIT Bombay. These include:
Google Asia Pacific for its support across several initiatives, including the Indic Language Technology Research Hub, research scholars, and young faculty working in areas such as computer science, artificial intelligence, and security.
Groww Foundation, for partnering with the Institute on initiatives, including the Groww Inv.Ent programme, infrastructure that supports innovation and entrepreneurship, and undergraduate scholarships.
HRTI Private Limited, for contributing generously to IIT Bombay for the setting up of the HRTI Centre of Excellence in Vision, Multimodal AI & Geo-Intelligence.
Tata Trusts, for its collaboration with IIT Bombay on Phase II of the Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD).

Ready to align your CSR mandate with the future of Indian innovation?

We invite your leadership team to move beyond compliance and join us in driving the technological breakthroughs that will secure the future of India.

Let’s build a stronger, tech-sovereign, India together.

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