CII Kicks Off 22nd Edition of Innovation Summit - INNOVERGE 2026 — in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, July 22, 2026:  The 22nd edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) flagship India Innovation Summit – CII INNOVERGE 2026 commenced today at The Taj West End, Bengaluru, under the theme "Transforming India into an AI-Led Product Nation – Innovation, Trust & Technology." The first day of the two-day summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, researchers, and academia to deliberate on how India can accelerate its transition from a services-led economy to a globally competitive, AI-powered product nation driven by innovation, trusted technologies, and collaborative ecosystems.
The day featured an eminent line-up of leaders from government, industry, and the innovation ecosystem,
Delivering the Special Address, Dr Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce & Industries, Government of Karnataka, highlighted Karnataka's unique strengths in building a globally competitive mobility ecosystem. He noted that Karnataka is well positioned to build a cleaner, smarter and globally competitive mobility ecosystem by fostering collaboration among government, industry, startups, GCCs and research institutions. He emphasised that continuous government-industry engagement and future-ready policies will be key to driving the next generation of sustainable mobility.
Khushboo Goel Chowdhary, IAS, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka, observed that India's next phase of industrial growth must be driven by innovation-led product development. She remarked, "India's opportunity lies in progressing beyond manufacturing excellence to designing, developing, testing and producing world-class technologies for global markets. With its strong engineering talent, robust digital infrastructure and vibrant innovation ecosystem, Karnataka is well positioned to lead this transformation."
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President, CII, Mentor, CII India INNOVERGE 2026; Chairman, Axilor Ventures; and Co-founder, Infosys, observed that the next three decades of technology-led transformation could be even more consequential than the era shaped by the internet and IT services. He noted that Karnataka is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation, with every direct technology job capable of generating three to five additional jobs across the broader economy. Emphasising the importance of strengthening the entire innovation value chain, he stressed the need to translate research, talent and ideas into globally competitive products, enterprises and employment.
Setting the tone for the Summit, Kamal Bali, Chairman, CII India INNOVERGE 2026 and President & Managing Director, Volvo Group India, delivered the address titled "From Ideas to Scale – The Mandate to Converge as a Product Nation, He emphasised that India's transition to an AI-led product nation will depend on building globally competitive products by integrating talent, technology, capital, manufacturing and market access. He noted that strong partnerships and disciplined execution across the innovation ecosystem will be critical to achieving this vision.
In her Special Address, Dr Suchitra K Ella, President Designate, CII (2026-27), and Co-founder & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International Limited, highlighted that innovation is a continuous journey built on quality, trust and sustained investment in research. She emphasised that India must move beyond cost competitiveness to build high-quality, globally trusted products backed by strong regulatory standards.
Guruprasad Mudlapur, Chairman, CII Karnataka and President, Bosch Group in India & Managing Director, Bosch Limited, said that CII INNOVERGE 2026 reflects India's opportunity to translate policy momentum, research and entrepreneurship into globally competitive products by strengthening collaboration across priority sectors including mobility, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, space and defence.
Sam Cherian, Vice Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council and Founder Chairman, Schevaran Group, underscored that execution remains the cornerstone of innovation. He observed that India's innovation agenda is clear building products from India, investing in research and design, strengthening talent, developing trusted and responsible technologies, and translating innovation into sustainable, globally competitive enterprises.
Presenting the Theme Address and Overview of the Whitepaper, Sudipto Paul, Partner, McKinsey & Company, stated that India has a unique opportunity to move from executing ideas for the world to designing, owning and scaling globally competitive products. He noted that artificial intelligence, combined with value chain-focused ecosystems, increased R&D investments and stronger partnerships, can enable India to achieve in years what many nations have taken decades to accomplish.
The three sectoral sessions on the opening day focused on some of India's most strategic growth sectors. The Session on Automotive and Next-Generation Mobility explored the future of mobility, India's electric mobility transformation, and the opportunities to build globally competitive mobility products. The Session on Biotechnology, Pharma and Life Sciences examined how India can transition from a volume-driven to a value-driven innovation ecosystem in healthcare, while strengthening its global leadership in biotechnology and life sciences. The Session on Aerospace, Space and Defence focused on enhancing India's strategic capabilities in aerospace, space technologies and defence manufacturing, with emphasis on advancing indigenous innovation, strengthening manufacturing capabilities, and building globally competitive enterprises.
The day concluded with the CII INNOVERGE 2026 Recognitions, celebrating pioneering startups that have demonstrated exemplary leadership in innovation, technology development, and product excellence across emerging sectors, The recognitions were presented to Forus, Prodancy, PadCare
The opening day of CII INNOVERGE 2026 set the stage for meaningful discussions on how India can harness artificial intelligence, deep technology, research, entrepreneurship and collaborative partnerships to realise its vision of becoming an AI-led product nation powered by innovation, trust and technology.
The Summit will continue on 23 July 2026 with sessions on Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial AI, Artificial Intelligence and Data Centres, Creative and Digital Content Industries (the Orange Economy), and Energy & Sustainability, bringing together leading voices from industry, government, startups and academia to chart India's next phase of innovation-led growth.