The ACIC RISE Association, CEC–CGC Landran, in collaboration with Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC), and AICTE, successfully hosted the Pre-Summit Event of AI Impact Summit 2026 at Chandigarh Engineering College, CGC Landran. The event was organized around the theme “Convergence of AI-Driven Research & Innovation”, aligned with the vision of AI for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The event featured insightful deliberations by Prof. (Dr.) H. S. Jattana, Former Scientist-G, Department of Space, Government of India; Mr. Ankush Gawri, Innovation Manager, MoE’s Innovation Cell, AICTE; Mr. Nirmal Nambiar, Founder & CEO, Oqlous AGI; Prof. (Dr.) Neha Sharma, Dean Research; Prof. (Dr.) Dinesh Arora, IPR Head, CGC Landran; and a special virtual address by Dr. Onkar Nath Tiwari, Scientist-F, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

The panel discussion “Startup Samvaad: AI as a Bridge for Inclusive Societal Development” highlighted AI-led inclusive growth, featuring startup founders Mr. Lovelash Dutt, Ms. Gayatri Rana, Mr. Amit Kesle, Mr. Anish Kumar, and Ms. Nishu Jain, and was moderated by Mr. Abhinav Pundir and Ms. Sonia Jindal.

Regional startups including ConvertWise, Byteloom, Oqlous (Super Manager AGI), Varuna, and TestprepGPT showcased innovative AI-based solutions. The Pre-Summit also included a hands-on workshop on Generative and Agentic AI Tools conducted by Mr. Ajitpal Singh Brar (Head-AI, Antier Solutions), Mr. Ankur Dinesh Garg (CTO, Allyra.ai), Mr. Puneet Verma, President, TiE Chandigarh & CEO,Cybrain Software Solutions, and Dr. Jagriti Saini (Founder and Owner- Eternal RESTEM), strengthening AI-driven research, innovation, and entrepreneurship aligned with Industry 5.0.

The event witnessed active participation from students, faculty members, startups, and innovators, reinforcing IIC’s role in building a future-ready innovation ecosystem.