IIT Kharagpur director unveils 'Impact RISE initiative' for societal transformation

Kolkata, Nov 25 (PTI) IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty on Tuesday launched 'Impact RISE' (Research, Innovation, Skilling, and Entrepreneurship) to channelise technology for societal transformation.

He declared it as the institute's pledge to the nation in its Platinum Jubilee year.

At an event in New Delhi, Chakraborty said the initiative is a comprehensive model to directly align India's premier scientific and technological expertise with the country's most pressing developmental challenges, the premier institute said in a statement here.

Citing a "national imperative," Chakraborty outlined a vision where IIT Kharagpur moves beyond research papers to become a leader in measurable, last-mile impact.

"If not us, then who? If not now, then when?", he stated, highlighting critical issues from groundwater contamination and anaemia to climate vulnerability and the need for AI-skilling millions of frontline workers.

"Impact RISE is our commitment that our science, engineering, technology, and talent will drive large-scale, measurable, inclusive societal transformation," Chakraborty said.

"Our Platinum Jubilee vision is to build in our labs, pilot in our campus, and extend sustainable technologies and impact models to the whole world," he said.

Introduced by the father of CSR policy, Bhaskar Chatterjee, 'A Four-Pillar National Model with Evidence-Based Missions' was put forward by Chakraborty.

The address detailed how Impact RISE’s four pillars—Research, Innovation, Skilling and Entrepreneurship—will be activated through concrete, evidence-based missions.

"Corporates no longer support fragmented small projects — they become co-creators of national-scale development missions," Chakraborty explained.

The umbrella features a single-window system, ready-to-deploy technology kits, real-time IoT-enabled dashboards and outcome-based funding, reducing administrative burden by 70-80 per cent.

The director called upon the government, corporations, NGOs, alumni and international agencies to join this open platform.

He positioned IIT Kharagpur as a "Mentor of Mentors", pegging the creation of 1-2 lakh local jobs through technology deployment and skilling over the next decade.

The Impact RISE concludes its call to action with a powerful vision: an India where no child drinks contaminated water, no woman lacks healthcare access, he said. PTI SUS RG