India -Japan Science Technology Innovation Forum
Note: Conference registration is now closed / Competition results are out!
About the Conference
We are delighted to announce the upcoming conference, "Innovative Solutions for India-Japan Synergy," which is part of the India-Japan Science Technology Innovation Forum. In our rapidly evolving world, innovation has emerged as the quintessential driver fueling the relentless progress towards a sustainable future. This conference aims to explore how these elements can unite India and Japan to co-create impactful solutions to global challenges.
Hosted by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the event will gather thought leaders, industry pioneers, policymakers, academics, and civil society representatives from both nations. Participants will discuss strategies that foster meaningful partnerships and drive progress in key areas such as Enabling Technologies and Sectors, Economic Partnership, Co-designing a Sustainable Future, Skilling for Resilience and Innovation.
The Speakers
FEATURED INDUSTRY EXPERTS
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Dr. Sapna Poti
Director, PSA Office, Government of India
Dr. Sapna Poti is Director, Strategic Alliances in the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. She works for the government to promote R&D and Innovations through Centre's of Excellence and S&T Innovation Clusters.
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Mr. Masafumi Senda
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Region Head, South Asia & Middle East, NEDO, Japan
Mr. Masafumi Senda is the region head for South Asia and the Middle East at NEDO, Japan, since July 2024. At NEDO he promotes international R&D collaborations showcasing Japanese innovations in energy and environment. He has served over 20 years in Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
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Mr. Vibhav Joshi
Chief Operating Officer, PADECO, India.
Mr. Vibhav Joshi is the COO of PADECO Co. Ltd, Japan. He is an IIT Roorkee graduate with 30+ years’ of experience in global infrastructure projects. Currently, he oversees Japan-funded climate sustainability projects in India, including forestry, crop diversification, and ecosystem restoration.
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Dr. Kotaro Kataoka
Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India
Dr. Kotaro Kataoka is a professor at the department of computer science and engineering. He is the Science & Technology Fellow at the Embassy of Japan, has led Indo-Japan collaborations since 2010. His research focuses on the Internet, Blockchain, and innovation projects.
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Mr. Naoto Nakadate
Senior Director, Japan-India Startup Hub, JETRO
Mr. Naoto Nakadate, Senior Director at JETRO Bengaluru, brings experience across government, startups, VC, and academia. A METI transferee, he works at the intersection of AI, quantum, biotechnology, and industry, bridging sectors and fostering Japan-India deep-tech collaboration.
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Dr. Hiromi Hosoya
Professor, Keio University, Japan
Dr. Hosoya is a professor at Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC),Keip University. She holds appointments at the Graduate School of Policy and Media Studies and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, inspiring students to explore architecture, design, and interdisciplinary knowledge for future leadership.
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Mr. Siddharth Deshmukh
CEO, Shimbi Labs and President, IJBC
Mr. Siddharth Deshmukh is an entrepreneur. He started his first company Ask4Host.com in Japan. The company is a web hosting and server management company with more than five thousand customers worldwide. Currently he is also the president of India Japan Business Council.
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Dr. Susheela Negi
Associate Head / Scientist F, S & T Capacity Building Division, DST, India
Dr. Susheela Negi, Associate Head at DST, leads the Women in Science & Engineering programme, with two decades’ experience advancing STEM, climate action, and policy. She has represented India globally, driving research, capacity-building, and inclusive participation in sustainable development.
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Dr. Monika Vij
Professor, Department of Geography
Miranda House, Delhi University
Dr. Monika Vij, Professor of Geography, has over 25 years of teaching and research experience. A recipient of the prestigious ICSSR post-doctoral fellowship, she has numerous publications and actively contributes to the college’s curricular and extracurricular activities.
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Dr. Lakshmi Priya
Secretary, Health and Family Welfare
Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Dr. Lakshmi Priya is an IAS officer from Kerala. She is the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence for pioneering malnutrition reduction initiatives in Assam. A Fulbright-Nehru Fellow, she advances public health, participative governance, and women empowerment, alongside her passion for Carnatic music.
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Prof. G Raghuram
Former Director, IIM Banglore
Dr. Raghuram is former Director of IIM Bangalore and Professor at IIM Ahmedabad. He is an expert in infrastructure, transport, and logistics. With global teaching, extensive publications, awards, and advisory roles, he has influenced academia, industry, and policy across India and abroad.
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Dr. Arunabh Mitra
Chief Continuity Officer (CCO)
HCL Technologies Ltd,
Dr. Arunabh Mitra is the chief continuity officer at HCL Tech. He oversees global risk management programs, including business continuity, crisis management, ESG, and operational risk across 60+ countries. He holds a Ph.D. in systemic disaster risks from Keio University, Japan.
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Dr. Rajib Shaw
Professor, Keio University, Japan
Prof. Rajib Shaw works in the area of disaster risk management. He is currently the chair of the United Nations Asia Regional Task Force for Urban Risk Reduction, and the president of Asian University Network of Environment and Disaster Management (AUEDM).
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Mr. Koji Sato
Director General, The Japan Foundation, New Delhi
Mr. Koji Sato is the Director General of the Japan Foundation, New Delhi. He has also served as the Director of Asia Center as well as the Yangon Office of the Foundation. Mr. Sato completed his studies in Law from the Hokkaido University, Japan.
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Dr. Aravind Chinchure
Board Member, Deshpande Startups, India
Dr. Aravind Chinchure is the founder and CEO of QLeap Academy. He advises companies and serves on several nonprofit boards. He received the Innovation Excellence Award and designed India’s first experiential MBA in innovation and entrepreneurship at SIBM, Pune.
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Dr. Ananth Chikkatur
CEO and Co-founder of XanhTerra
Dr. Ananth Chikkatur, CEO and Co-founder of XanhTerra, is an energy-transition expert with global experience. A Harvard-trained policy specialist and MIT Ph.D., he integrates AI-driven analytics and deep sector expertise to advance sustainable and resilient energy strategies worldwide.
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Dr. Probal Mojumder
Chairperson and Associate Professor
Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur
Dr. Probal Mojumder is an Associate Professor of Information Systems at IIM Udaipur and Chairperson of its PhD programs. His research uses data science and econometrics to study IT impacts on digital platforms, with publications in top journals and presentations at major conferences.
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Dr. Arnab Paul
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Sciences, BITS Pilani,
K K Birla Goa Campus
Dr. Arnab K. Paul is assistant professor at BITS Pilani and leads the DaSH lab. His research spans distributed systems, parallel file systems, high-performance computing, and big data analytics. He previously held a postdoctoral position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA.
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Dr. Satish Kumar Yawale
Associate Fellow,
TERI, New Delhi
Dr. Satish Kumar Yawale is associate fellow at TERI. He has worked at IISc and held research roles at NIES, Japan. His expertise includes sustainability, environment-economy integration. He has also held academic positions at NIIST, Japan and MANIT, India.
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GUEST OF HONOUR
Amb. Raj Kumar Srivastava
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
Ambassador Raj Kumar Srivastava is currently the Dean of the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service. He has held key diplomatic roles in six countries. He played a vital role in launching the India-Japan Digital Partnership and led 150+ initiatives in Croatia promoting culture, science, and innovation.
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Ms. Sujata Saunik
Retd IAS, served as Chief Secretary of
the Government of Maharashtra.
A career civil servant with 30 years of public policy and governance experience across healthcare, finance, education, disaster management, and peacekeeping in India and the UN; Takemi Fellow, Harvard, currently heading Maharashtra’s Department of General Administration.
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Dr. Richa Sharma
Deputy Director,
Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR), India
Dr. Richa Sharma oversees research projects and administration at ICSSR. A historian by training, her work explores legal history, education, gender, and medicine, with international collaborations including a joint lab with Osaka University.
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Mr. Rajiv Duggal
COO, Shimizu Corporation India Pvt Ltd,
(Subsidiary of Shimizu Corporation, Japan)
Mr. Rajiv Duggal is the COO of Shimizu Corporation India. He has 33 years of construction industry experience, including 16+ with Shimizu. An IIT Delhi graduate with a master’s from the University of Tokyo, he leads industrial and heavy engineering design-build projects nationwide.
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Dr. N.S Cooray
Professor, International University of Japan, Japan
Dr. N. S. Cooray is professor of economics at the International University of Japan (IUJ), where he previously served as Associate Dean and Director of the Peace Studies Programme. He currently leads the Sri Lanka Academic Association in Japan (SLAcJ) as the President.
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Dr. Hiroto Kobayashi
Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University
Dr. Hiroto Kobayashi is an architect and Ppofessor at Keio University’s Graduate School of Media and Governance. He is trained at Kyoto University and Harvard GSD. He is the Principal of KMDW and Japan representative for SOM. He researches sustainable communities and leads the Veneer House Project post-2011 Tohoku earthquake.
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Prof A . Damodaran
Professor at IIM Bangalore
Prof. A. Damodaran, currently a Visiting Professor at ICRIER, New Delhi, and Ahmedabad University, is a former Professor at IIM Bangalore. He specializes in climate finance, biodiversity, and digital economics, with extensive international research experience and contributions to global sustainability and digital innovation studies.
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Mr. Shrikant Deshmukh
General Manager
Head - ODC (Global) and Head DX E
Yokogawa India Limited, Bangalore
Mr. Shrikant Deshmukh has over 28 years of experience across Manufacturing, IT, and Operations Technology. He has worked extensively with industries like Retail, Oil & Gas, Pharma, and Hi-Tech, leveraging both enterprise and open-source digital technology solutions.
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Dr. Kuldeep Kumar Raina
Vice Chancellor,
Ramaiah University of Applied Science
Prof. Kuldeep Kumar Raina, Vice Chancellor of MSRUAS since 2021, is a distinguished materials scientist with extensive academic leadership experience. Formerly at DIT University and Thapar Institute, he has published over 250 papers, supervised 33 Ph.D.s, and received numerous national and international accolades.
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Mr. Rahul Garg
Director,
Nihon Naukri Navigator
Rahul Garg builds practical tech for construction, combining engineering, AI, and India–Japan collaboration. As Co-founder of Avete AI, DX advisor, and co-founder of Nihon Naukri Navigator, he delivers safety AI, digital transformation, and Japan-focused talent solutions. Fluent in Japanese.
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The Organisers
Indian Institute of Science was established in 1909 by a visionary partnership between the industrialised Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the Mysore royal family and the Government of India. Over the last 111 years, IISc has become India's premier institute for advanced scientific and technological research and education.
Keio University is one of the oldest, private higher education institutions in Japan. Founded in 1858 by Yukichi Fukuzawa, it is Japan's first modern institution of higher learning, and a leader in Japan through its continued commitment to education, research, and medicine.
The India Japan Laboratory (IJL), founded December 1, 2019, at Keio University and led by Professor Rajib Shaw, is a research hub fostering innovation between India and Japan. It focuses on environment, technology, and culture, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations through collaborative research and knowledge exchange.
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SPEAKERS
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PARTICIPANTS
The Venue
Faculty Hall, Main Building, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
The main building of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, India, is Known as the "Faculty Hall." IISc is one of the premier research institutions in India, renowned for its contributions to science and engineering.
The Faculty Hall is a historic and iconic structure within the IISc campus. It serves as the main administrative and academic building and holds a significant place in the institution' history and culture. The building's architectural style reflects a blend of classic and modern element, adding to its charm and importance.