New Delhi: The Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi is hosting its annual flagship summit, bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors and policymakers from across India’s innovation ecosystem.The two-day event, which began Thursday, is focusing on innovation in agriculture and healthcare, examining how emerging technologies can address challenges in sectors that impact millions of people.It aims to create opportunities for collaboration between researchers, industry, startups and investors, while helping promising technologies move closer to large-scale deployment.The summit opened with a technology expo and product showcase featuring startups and innovators working across sectors. The exhibition included student-led, women-led and rural ventures, with founders presenting products and discussing pathways from laboratory research to commercial adoption.A session on artificial intelligence explored the infrastructure, research ecosystem and investment required to develop and scale indigenous AI technologies. “The discussion is not simply about developing new technology, but about creating an ecosystem in which it can be tested, funded and eventually deployed,” an official said.Another session examined how govt and industry procurement can help innovative products move beyond the prototype stage.Agriculture emerged as a major theme under the banner “Engineering the Future of Agriculture”, with participants discussing how engineering solutions and emerging technologies can address challenges in the sector. “Agriculture is an area where the impact of technology ultimately has to be visible on the ground. The focus is on solutions that can move from research and demonstration to actual use,” another official said.Manufacturing and semiconductors also featured prominently, with discussions centred on next-generation manufacturing technologies. Selected startups presented their technologies and business models.On the second day, healthcare, biotechnology, space technology and sportstech will be among the focus areas, while an international dialogue will explore links between India’s innovation ecosystem and global institutions.“The idea is to bring the different pieces of the innovation chain into the same space that can help take solutions to the market,” the official said.
