Pune, Aug 19: MIT India is set to host the Industry Institute Reconnect Summit 2026, a national platform bringing together academia, industry, startups, investors and policymakers to strengthen collaboration around talent, innovation, entrepreneurship and national development. Scheduled to take place in Pune on 21–22 August 2026, IRS 2026 will serve as the national qualifying platform for initiatives that will culminate at the Industry Institute Engagement Summit in New Delhi.
The summit is expected to bring together 1,000+ CXOs, CHROs, investors, startups and students, with an overall attendance of 700+ participants.
A key highlight will be Capital Nexus, MIT India‘s national entrepreneurship and investment platform, which will see participation from 100+ startups across SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, D2C, AgriTech, DeepTech, AI/ML, CleanTech, Manufacturing and EV & Mobility. Following evaluation, 25–30 startups will advance to the Grand Finale in New Delhi, gaining access to investors, mentors and enterprise leaders.
IRS 2026 will also feature the MIT India National Hackathon, bringing together 100+ student teams from Engineering, Science, Management and Design institutions. The top 30 teams will progress to the New Delhi Grand Finale, presenting product-grade solutions to real-world challenges across Government, Social Impact, Defence, Healthcare, Technical and Industrial domains. The Hackathon will feature a ₹25 lakh prize pool and evaluation by 48 industry professionals across the qualifier and finale.
The summit will bring together a distinguished group of government, academic and industry leaders, including:
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Mr. Uday Samant, Cabinet Minister, Government of Maharashtra
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Shri Chandrakant Patil, Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra
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Prof. Dr. Suresh Gosavi, Vice-Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University
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Prof. Dr. Parag Kalkar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, SPPU
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Mr. Sudish Lambodara Panicker, Managing Director, Global Head of Fund and Investor Solutions, Operations, Site Executive, BNY India
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Dr. P. V. Venkitakrishnan, Retired Distinguished Scientist & Director
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Mr. Prasad Shastri, Regional Head, TCS
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Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh, Director, Amdocs
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Mr. Kedar Deo, Executive Director, EY
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Dr. Raosaheb Vikram Latpate, Dean, Faculty of Science & Technology, SPPU
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Mr. Gaurav Tripathi, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Partex.AI
Speaking about the vision for IRS 2026, Revered Prof. Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad, Founder & Chief Patron, MAEER’s MIT Group of Institutions, said,
“The future belongs to societies that strengthen the relationship between knowledge and practice. When institutions, industry, innovators, and policymakers come together with a shared purpose, they create opportunities that extend far beyond individual organizations. IRS 2026 reflects MIT India‘s enduring commitment to building such partnerships, preparing future generations for leadership, innovation, and responsible nation building.”
Dr. Sunil Karad, Executive Director & Trustee, MAEER’s MIT Group of Institutions, added,
“As technology, industry, and workforce expectations continue to evolve, collaboration has become a strategic necessity. IRS 2026 reflects MIT India‘s commitment to building an integrated ecosystem where leadership, enterprise, innovation, and education work together to address emerging challenges and unlock new opportunities. We believe such partnerships will play a defining role in shaping the future of talent and national development.”
Marking a distinct evolution from MIT India’s earlier industry engagement initiatives, this year’s IRS 2026 brings together students, industry, startups and investors through a format designed to spark new conversations, create meaningful opportunities and build momentum around the future of talent and innovation.
At its core, IRS 2026 seeks to put students and emerging innovators at the centre of the ecosystem, creating opportunities for ideas to move from classrooms to real-world applications and enabling the next generation to learn, build and shape the future alongside industry.