IRIS 2026: NITI Aayog member, IIM Ahmedabad director, BITS Pilani VC among speakers at research summit

Careers360 will host the India Research & Impact Summit 2026 on October 1, bringing together researchers, faculty members and academic institutions to discuss key issues shaping India’s research ecosystem. The summit will honour India’s best researchers across 27 domains, with each awardee receiving an award and a Rs 50,000 cash prize.

The summit will also recognise institutions that have demonstrated excellence in research across 12 domains. The event will bring together researchers, faculty members, academic leaders and institutions to discuss key challenges and emerging opportunities in India’s research ecosystem.

The discussions at the summit will focus on issues including quantity versus quality in research, industry sponsorships, artificial intelligence (AI) and research, brain drain and research ethics.

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India Research & Impact Summit 2026 speakers

Several prominent academics, university leaders and education industry professionals have confirmed their participation in the summit. A NITI Aayog member, the director of IIM Ahmedabad and the vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani are among the speakers to address the summit. The confirmed speakers include

The detailed agenda, including the list of speakers and specific topics, is expected to be released ahead of the summit.