IIT Ropar hosts Industry LYNK 2025 to drive academia-industry collaboration

Rupnagar (Punjab) [India], September 30 : The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, successfully organised Industry LYNK 2025 under the theme "Aligning Horizons: Talent, Ideas, and Industry for a Smarter Future," where the emphasis was on the importance of academia-industry collaborations.
This event brought together students, faculty, over 600 participants, and more than 20 eminent speakers from industry and academia.
The event commenced with opening Remarks by Pushpendra P Singh, Dean (CAPS), IIT Ropar, highlighting the genesis of Industry LYNK. This was followed by the Inaugural Address by Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, who emphasised the importance of academia-industry collaborations in shaping Viksit Bharat and building future-ready talent.
A Keynote Address by Varadharaju Janardhanan, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Flipkart Super Money, followed by MoU announcements with industry partners and a TED Talk by Raju Kadam, Bharat Forge.
The first panel discussion, focused on HR under the theme "The Future of Workforce in the Era of Industry 4.0: Rethinking Recruitment and Talent Readiness for Viksit Bharat," was moderated by Cheshta Dora (People Matters), with panellists Charles Godwin (HR Leader and Public Speaker, Zoho Corp.), Niket Gupta (Head of Talent Acquisition and Campus, Myntra) and Mayank Jain (Chief Metaverse Officer and Head of Digital Transformation, US Tech Solutions).
The panel explored how emerging technologies and digital transformation are reshaping talent acquisition, workforce development, and HR strategies. This was followed by a Keynote Address by Vilas Zode, Executive Director - HR, HPCL, a TED Talk by Sanjeev Kumar, Murata, and a Keynote Address by Abhishek Goyal, Managing Director & Global Delivery Lead - Industry X, Accenture India.
The second panel discussion, on R&D, explored "Shaping Viksit Bharat: AI, Data, and Industry 4.0 through Academia-Industry Collaboration" and was moderated by Shaunak Sontakke (Director of Engineering, Pattern), with panelists Soumya Gopinathan (Ecosystem and Tech Excellence Leader, Schneider Electric), Jatinder Kaur Arora (Advisor, Northern Region S&T Cluster), Yachneet Pushkarna (CEO & Director, Haribol Foods), Dinkar Gupta (Founder, LEAP Tech), and Sudarshan Iyengar (Director, Annam.ai).
The session was enriched by a TED Talk from Ruchi Challu, Senior Vice President at BHIVE, and a keynote address from Nilesh Biniwale, Managing Director at Pattern.
The third panel discussion, focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), highlighted "Industry-Academia Synergy for Social and Sustainable Innovation" and was moderated by Abhishek Jha (Consulting Editor, Foreign Affairs, CSR Universe).
The panel delved into collaborative models between industry and academia to drive impactful CSR initiatives and sustainable development. Panellists included Ramesh Venugopalsamy (CSR Head Skilling, Bajaj Auto Ltd.), Victor Sundararaj (Associate Vice President - Education, Learning and Development, Infosys), Aishwarya Mahajan (Managing Trustee & President, M3M Foundation), Naveen Jha (Director, ISAP India), and Anirudh Singh Rana (Founder, Smillets).
The session also featured a TED Talk, "Alumni Perspective" by Ashwin Goyal, Product Manager at HRS Group and an alumnus of IIT Ropar.
The program concluded with the announcement of Industry LYNK 2026 by Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, and the CAPS Team, followed by the Vote of Thanks delivered by Surya K Sahdeo, Coordinator - Alumni & Placement, IIT Ropar.