Day three of the Conclave featured panel discussion on socio-industry relevant topic and a Hackathon on themes and challenge statements which would lead to “Vikshit Bharat –2047” the theme of the conclave.

The panel discussion on the topic “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental Accountability in Mining Operations” featured participation by industry academia stalwarts Shri Amitanjan Nandi (Executive Director, Mining, Damodar Valley Corporation), Mr. P.B. Sinha (Consultant, FEURST Inc., France), Dr. S.K. Chaulya (Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR), and Dr. N.K. Mohalik (Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR). This panel discussion was mainly focused on the interplay between economic growth and environmental sustainability in mining, at the global level and particularly in Jharkhand.

The panelists discussed the challenges and solutions for environmental accountability in mining operations, adoption of technological innovations for sustainable practices, economic importance of mining in Jharkhand alongside environmental degradation concerns, future of mining under climate-conscious regulations and community rights, consent, and inclusive mining policies. The event concluded with thought-provoking contributions from the panel, encouraging sustainable strategies and policies to balance economic and ecological priorities in mining sectors.

The other event featured Circuit Design & Simulation Hackathon which was organized in collaboration with VLSI System Design (VSD), Bangalore under the umbrella of IAC 24. This event was dedicated to pay tribute to Padma Vibhushan Late Shri Ratan Tata, a visionary who believed in empowering individuals through technology and innovation to build a better future for India.

All the circuit implementations were done on open-source EDA tools. Chief Guest from academia Prof. Amit Patra (Director IIT BHU) and Guest of honour Shri Kunal Gosh (VSD Benglore) shed light on the importance of open-source tools in VLSI circuits. Up skilling of students on circuit design will be utilized in development of IP for real-world applications. For this event, there were 1651 participants registered from engineering colleges all over the country and after initial shortlisting, 232 circuit design reports were submitted for final round evaluation. These designs were finally examined by the expert members from the industry and subject experts from academia for final round. The top three participants were called to present their work at NIT Jamshedpur. Chief Guest from Industry Kunal Ghosh and jury member Anagha Ghosh (VSD, Banglore) evaluated the participants based on their work.  The first prize went to Sangesh S from Patiala (Punjab), 2nd prize to Nalinkumar S (Bangalore, Karnataka), and 3rd prize to Sree Vishnu Varthini S  (Coimbatore, Tamilnadu). Dr. Kunal Singh and Dr. Chandradeep Singh were coordinator and convener of the event.

During closing ceremony of the 2nd Industry-Academia Conclave (IAC-2024), Prof. Goutam Sutradhar presented the brief report of IAC-2024. He expressed his deepest gratitude to the co-organizers of this event Central University of Jharkhand Ranchi, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, BIS, IIT Bhilai, IIT Patna, NIT Agartala, NIT Arunachal Pradesh, NIT Manipur, NIT Mizoram, NIT Nagaland, NIT Patna, and NIT Raipur, for being instrumental in shaping this conclave. He  also extend his  appreciation to the sponsors of this conclave: Powergrid, Tata Steel, Greenko Group, MIDHANI, Grind Chem, DVC, NTPC, GAIL, AIMIL, Braithwaite, Janyu Tech, Allied publishers, Springer, Nature, SBI, Canara Bank, and BIS for their financial support and motivation.

He added further that IAC-2024 has successfully brought together academia, industry, and government stakeholders to foster partnerships, advance research, and promote entrepreneurship, reinforcing NIT Jamshedpur’s commitment to contributing to a sustainable, innovative, and self-reliant India by 2047, aligned with the theme “Vikshit Bharat – Vikshit Jharkhand.” This conclave saw participation by 72 delegates from 28 IITs, NITs, and institutes of national repute, and 46 delegates from 18 industries, showcasing their latest innovations and industry-relevant products and services on 43 stalls.

The highlights of IAC-2024 included five panel discussions on national and industry-relevant topics, including Renewable Energy Integration, Industry 4.0, Digital Twin Technology, Innovation-Driven IPR, and Balancing Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability, as well as the signing of three MoUs with IIT Jodhpur, RVSCET Jamshedpur, and Ramgarh College to foster collaboration and innovation in research, a model competition featuring 300 students with 90 models from 70+ schools and colleges with a total prize amount of ₹1 lakh, a Circuit Design & Simulation Hackathon using open-source tools, and cultural evenings featuring traditional performances.

Prof. Sutradhar paid his gratitude to Dr. shubra Kamal Dutta, Hon chief adviser of conclave and heartily congratulated the organizing secretaries, Prof. M K Sinha and Prof. Amaresh Kumar, and their team on the successful event.