Bengaluru, Mar 17th: IIIT–Bangalore recently hosted the 9th edition of RISE Open House (Research, Innovation, Society and Entrepreneurship), providing participants with an engaging experience showcasing the latest developments in research and innovation at IIIT–Bangalore. The event acted as a vibrant platform to encourage research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and meaningful collaborations. It offered students, scholars, and industry professionals the opportunity to explore Ph.D. and research opportunities, interact with IIIT–Bangalore’s faculty and research scholars through technical discussions, and gain deeper insights into the institute’s research initiatives while building potential partnerships.
The event featured six workshop sessions, including:
• Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence – Overview of AI-DS & AI/ML Research at IIIT–Bangalore
• Department of Computer Science and Engineering – Fish Bowl Session
• Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering – Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces
• Centre for Applied Sciences – Research Overview
• Department of Digital Humanities and Societal Systems – Overview of DHSS & MOSIP: Open Digital Infrastructure
• Continuing Professional Education – Professional Skills
Over 400 participants attended the keynote session, workshops, and poster presentations. A key highlight of the event was the showcase of more than 80 research projects. Projects from various departments were presented at the RISE Open House, giving researchers the opportunity to showcase their work to a wider audience and gain valuable insights from external participants.
We also announced over 28 summer internship opportunities during the RISE Open House. Participants had the chance to apply for these internships at the event, and the selections will be made based on the evaluation of applications by an internal committee.
The keynote speaker for the event was Mr. Anand Rangarajan, Vice President – Engineering, Google DeepMind. In an engaging keynote session, he shed light on the role of Artificial Intelligence and the relevance of humans in an AI-driven world. He also spoke about why human involvement remains important and discussed the future of AI. The session saw active participation from the audience, with many questions raised during the interaction.
“When the landscape of job opportunities is changing due to AI, our education system and the current crop of students have to understand the dynamics and adapt to them. At RISE 2026, we aimed to brainstorm this situation, identify promising paths forward, and showcase recent research activities at IIIT–Bangalore to students. For the pace at which technology evolves with AI, experts have to identify the importance of cultivating caution and establishing well‑defined guidelines for its use that are rooted in ethics, the criticality of applications, and society‑specific needs. Responsible adoption of AI assures trust, transparency, and fairness across diverse communities” said Prof. Vinod Reddy, Organising Committee, RISE Open House 2026.
“Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming almost every job sector and redefining the future of work. In this context, this year’s RISE Open House explores a critical question: Can AI replace humans, and how can humans remain relevant in an AI-driven world? Our keynote speaker also addressed this important debate.
As an academic and research institution, IIIT–Bangalore is deeply engaged in advancing research in these areas. We are contributing to nationally significant initiatives such as the TELEMANAS project on mental health in collaboration with NIMHANS, Bengaluru, and Digital Public Infrastructure through major centres like the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), the Centre for Open Societal Systems (COSS), and the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI), OpenG2P, and AI-for usability, LKI for Niti Ayog, COMET Foundation for Advanced Communication and other AI/ML Deep technology projects.
RISE Open House serves as an important platform to showcase our research, innovations, and societal impact to the wider community,” said Prof. Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT–Bangalore.
As we strongly believe in translatable and impactful research at IIIT–Bangalore, RISE Open House 2026 reaffirmed our commitment in this direction. The event provided a valuable platform for researchers, students, and industry participants to exchange ideas, explore collaborations, and gain insights into ongoing research at the institute. Through such initiatives, IIIT–Bangalore continues to drive technological innovation and research that address real-world challenges and shape the future.
