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NEW DELHI: AISECT India, in academic association with Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, successfully hosted the Samarth Conclave 2026 today at the Gokulam Grand Hotel, Bengaluru. Centered on the theme "Strategic Alliance for Modern Academics, Research & Skill Advancement," the day-long event convened leading policymakers, academic leaders, and top industry executives to reimagine engineering education, research frameworks, and workforce readiness across Karnataka.
The conclave commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and the state anthem Karnataka Nadageethe, followed by a welcome address by Prof. Prasad B. Rampure, Registrar, VTU, and context setting by Rajat Chaturvedi, Business Head, AISECT India.
Distinguished dignitaries present included:
- Dr. Vidyashankar S., Vice Chancellor, VTU
- Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Chancellor, SGSU Bhopal & EVP, AISECT India
- Dr. Arvind Chaturvedi, Pro Chancellor, CVRU Vaishali & National Head, AISECT India
A major highlight of the inaugural session was the official release of the AISECT Karnataka Coffee Table Booklet.
Key Technical Sessions & Industry Highlights
Throughout the day, high-level sessions and panels addressed the growing imperative to bridge the gap between academic curricula and rapidly evolving industrial demands:
- VTU’s Industry-Academia Curriculum & Regional CoE Vision: In his keynote address, Prof. Prasad B. Rampure (Registrar, VTU) highlighted VTU's newly adopted, industry-centric curriculum. He detailed the establishment of state-of-the-art Centres of Excellence (CoEs) across VTU headquarters and key regional hubs (Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, and Belagavi) to facilitate hands-on skill integration, joint assessments, and continuous dialogue with enterprise leaders.
- Building AI for Public Good: Dr. Shreevyas H. M. (Scientist and Project Director of e-Governance, Government of Karnataka) delivered a feature presentation titled "Beyond the Byte: How Karnataka is Building AI for Public Good," outlining state-led AI initiatives, responsible data governance frameworks, and public-tier tech innovations solving citizen welfare challenges.
- CoE Integration & Research Roadmap: Bharat K. N. (CoE Special Officer, VTU Belagavi) presented VTU’s roadmap for integrating CoEs into engineering colleges and scaling industry-academic research collaborations state-wide.
- Industry-Driven Workforce Readiness: Global partners including Anurag Pratap(Capgemini), and Shubham Chatterji (SAS) led sessions focused on aligning academic policies with market roles, embedding frontier tech into degree tracks, and building scalable employability pipelines.
- Transforming Colleges into Innovation Hubs: Academic and industry experts—including Dr. Vijay Singh (VC, SGSU), Anuj Richharia (Genpact), Venugopal C. (QCI), Dr. A.M. Suresh (DisciplesIndia), and Dr. Rachana Chaturvedi (Director Research, AGU)—deliberated strategies to evolve technical colleges into thriving hubs for applied research, start-ups, and entrepreneurship.
"Modern higher education must rely on strong, ongoing industry integration to ensure engineering graduates are workplace-ready from day one. Strategic partnerships like this lay the groundwork for sustainable innovation."
— Dr. Vidyashankar S., Vice Chancellor, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU)
Strategic Takeaways & Framework for Collaboration
The conclave established a concrete, execution-oriented roadmap for the partnership between VTU and AISECT India:
- Joint Certification Programs: Co-developing programs directly aligned with emerging technology demands.
- Expanded Internships & Mentorship: Creating structured internship pipelines and deploying industry mentors for student startups.
- Practical & Outcome-Focused Research: Reorienting campus research toward real-world industrial problems and moving beyond static MoUs to live projects and joint assessments.
- Grassroots Community Impact: Launching social impact projects with measurable local community outcomes.