The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi – Abu Dhabi (IITD-AD) has successfully concluded IGNITE 2025, a groundbreaking two-day international forum that has positioned the campus as a hub for deep-science research and innovation in the UAE. Building on the six-decade legacy of its parent institution, IIT Delhi, globally recognized for its leadership in STEM, research excellence, and vibrant startup culture, IITD-AD showcased its commitment to advancing the UAE’s ambitions in deep science and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. Organized in collaboration with the American Chemical Society (ACS), FortyTwo.VC, and IvyCap Ventures, and supported by startAD, IGNITE 2025 marked the inaugural event of a series aimed at fostering research collaboration, startup showcases, and industry engagement.
The forum featured eight thematic tracks, including Energy and Sustainability, Advanced Materials, AI and Data Sciences, Healthcare and MedTech, Space and New-Age Mobility, Food and Water Security, Carbon Capture and Release, and Quantum Technologies. Participants delved into cutting-edge developments in green hydrogen, quantum sensing, digital health, desalination technologies, climate-smart agriculture, and carbon capture, many of which stem from early-stage collaborations between India, the UAE, and other international institutions. This diverse range of research and innovation highlighted IITD-AD’s ability to leverage IIT Delhi’s expertise to drive regionally relevant initiatives.
IITD-AD’s credibility is rooted in the institutional excellence of IIT Delhi, which ranks 26th globally for Engineering & Technology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. Since establishing its technical incubation unit in 1990, IIT Delhi has nurtured over 200 startups, with more than 80 currently active in AI, clean energy, healthcare, food technologies, carbon capture, and quantum technologies. Notably, IIT Delhi’s alumni have founded or co-founded nearly 30% of India’s unicorns, underscoring the impact of a robust innovation ecosystem that IITD-AD is now extending to Abu Dhabi.
Expert-led panel sessions, such as Building a Sustainable and Resilient Future, Science Without Borders, and The Next Billion Lives: Startups Reimagining Health, Food & Water, brought together leading voices from the UAE, India, and beyond. These sessions provided insights and practical pathways for collaboration, while investors and venture funds actively engaged with researchers and founders, signaling a growing interest in deep-tech investment and cross-border partnerships. Notable speakers included Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Sonia Weymuller, Prof. Hao Li, and others, highlighting the high caliber of dialogue and the potential for strategic partnerships.
Prof. Shantanu Roy, executive director of IITD-AD, described IGNITE 2025 as a pivotal milestone in the campus’s trajectory, emphasizing its role in bringing together talent, research capabilities, and venture networks from India and the UAE. Prof. Mohamed Ali Haider, vice-provost (research and external engagement) at IITD-AD, highlighted the campus’s operational approach, focusing on providing students and researchers with resources, mentorship, and platforms to convert ideas into viable ventures. He also emphasized the importance of early innovation initiatives, such as Energy, AI, and Innovation Boot Camps, in building curiosity and capability at the school level.
As IITD-AD continues to expand, IGNITE 2025 sets the stage for a recurring forum where research, entrepreneurship, and industry dialogue are meaningfully integrated. Anchored in IIT Delhi’s scientific legacy and bolstered by strategic partnerships, the campus is emerging as a new intellectual center of gravity within the UAE, fostering innovation grounded in rigorous science and engineered for real-world impact.