CHENNAI, 28th April 2025: Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, addressed All India Research Scholars Summit (AIRSS) 2025 being held at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) today (28th March 2025).

He took part in a ‘Spotlight Discussion’ with Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof. Shanthi Pavan, Dean (Academic Research), IIT Madras, Prof. NV Ravi Kumar, Advisor, AIRSS 2025 and Ms. Robin Rathi, Research Affairs Secretary, IIT Madras.

The second edition of this annual event is dedicated to fostering research collaborations, industry engagement and academic excellence. It brings together scholars, academicians, industry leaders, and innovators from diverse fields across India. This summit is being held from 27th to 30th March 2025.

Another highlight of Day Two of the Summit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Southern Queensland, Australia and IIT Madras, facilitating exchange programs and joint degree opportunities for IITM students. The MoU was signed by Prof. John Bell, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), University of Southern Queensland, with IIT Madras along the side lines of the summit.

Delivering the keynote address, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, said, “65 per cent of Indians have used Generative AI compared to 31 per cent globally. This is one indication how Indians are adopting technology in a big way. Now, data is available on cloud. Quantum computing is coming. Earlier, I created High-Tech City for IT. Today, I am preparing a Quantum Valley Tower that will reflect future computing. All future technologies, we are going to demonstrate in Andhra Pradesh so that it is a big gift for India also. I am very proud and thankful to Prof. V. Kamakoti, who is helping with Quantum Computing at Amaravati. We are working with IIT Madras, IBM, the Government of India, TCS and L&T for this project. This is the First of Its Kind in India to get Quantum Computing. After this, I want to go Deep Technologies in all walks of life. We are thinking in that Direction.”

Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu added, “IIT Madras has retained the No: 1 in NIRF Overall and nine years in Engineering also, from 285 world ranking, the Institute has now reached 227. I am confident that in the near future, it will come below 200 and ultimately, it will come below 100 globally. (IIT Madras-incubated) Startups like Agnikul Cosmos and Mindgrove are placing India on the global map in space and in semiconductor. Start-ups are very near to me. They are having very clear goals - 100 start-ups with venture capital valued at Rs. 45,000 crores and also, with an 80% survival rate.”

Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu said, “This (IIT Madras) is one place where we are talking about start-ups. When you are going out, you are going out as entrepreneurs, which is the biggest contribution from this university.”

Further, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu said, “In the last 10 years, if you look at largest economies of the world, India has exhibited the highest growth in terms of GDP. Three of the Present top four economies have had decent GDP Growth rate. in 2014, India was at the 10th place. In 2021, we were in the fifth place and next year, in 2026, we will be in the fourth place. and by 2028, we will be in the third place. If all of us work hard, India will become No 1 or 2 economy in 2047. It is going to happen by the 100 year of our Independence.”

Further, a Panel Discussion involving Directors of prominent institutions has been scheduled for Day 3 of the Summit It will focus on fostering strategic collaborations and future directions in research.

Thanking Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu for accepting the Institute’s invitation, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “We have students from all over India at the All India Research Scholars Summit 2025. As we proceed towards ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’, you (researchers) are the people who are going to develop and deliver the technology for our country. Here, we have a person who has built from scratch a great ‘Cyberabad’, which we all are proud of.”

IIT Madras is organizing for the first time a Job Fair, not only for IIT Madras Research Scholars but for researchers from all over India as part of this Summit. The Institute is working with the industry to coordinate the job fair. This summit is a student-run event and among the largest of its kind that is dedicated exclusively for research scholars.

It underscores the commitment to empowering women in STEM fields and enhancing international educational collaborations, contributing to India’s scientific and technological advancements.

Another unique factor of this Summit was that nearly 30 per cent of all participants were from the Humanities Department.

Further, a Panel Discussion involving Directors of prominent institutions has been scheduled for Day 3 of the Summit It will focus on fostering strategic collaborations and future directions in research.

The first day of the event - 27th April 2025 - was dedicated to Women Empowerment Day, emphasizing their contributions to STEM fields. Eaton, a multi-national intelligent power management company, also launched ‘Eaton’s Pratibha Awards’ to recognize nine female students from IIT Madras. Each of them will receive a grant, at Rs. 1.25 lakh.

It underscores the commitment to empowering women in STEM fields and enhancing international educational collaborations, contributing to India’s scientific and technological advancements.

Further, the event includes oral and poster presentations, technical workshops on Technical Writing besides MATLAB, ANSYS, AI/ML and LaTex Workshops, besides recreational sessions. The summit aims to unite research scholars, academicians, and industry professionals to exchange knowledge, foster collaborations and celebrate the spirit of research.