The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has launched the Wadhwani-IISc Innovation Centre and hosted Quantum Pitch Fest 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen India’s deep-tech and quantum innovation ecosystem.

The Wadhwani-IISc Innovation Centre was inaugurated on 22 May 2026 by Shri AS Kiran Kumar, former Chair of ISRO and Chair of the Apex Committee, ISRO. The event was attended by Dr Ajay Kela, CEO and Board Member of the Wadhwani Foundation, and Dr Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director of the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) India.

The centre aims to support deep-tech innovation, startup incubation and industry collaboration, while strengthening IISc’s role in scientific research, translational innovation and entrepreneurship.

The initiative is part of the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN), a national programme linked to the Rs 1,400 crore collaborative investment announced last year by the Wadhwani Foundation along with ANRF, academic institutions and government partners to support deep-tech innovation and research commercialisation in India.

B Gurumoorthy, Director of the Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), IISc, said the centre, Quantum Pitch Fest and the InQubate platform would help researchers and entrepreneurs translate quantum research into scalable technologies and ventures.

Dr Ajay Kela said the next step for India’s research ecosystem was accelerating the transition of research into products, startups and societal applications.

Speaking at the inauguration, Shri AS Kiran Kumar said the focus should remain on how technological capabilities are applied for the development of society and the country. He also highlighted the importance of converting research into practical outcomes and acknowledged the role of government and philanthropic support in building capabilities in quantum technology.

Alongside the inauguration, IISc hosted Quantum Pitch Fest 2026, where researchers, startups and innovators presented ideas in quantum computing, communication and sensing. Selected teams received mentorship and incubation opportunities through IISc’s entrepreneurship programmes.

The event also marked the launch of InQubate, a quantum startup acceleration platform designed to support early-stage ventures. The platform is backed by IISc’s ecosystem, including the Quantum Research Park (QuRP), Wadhwani-IISc Innovation Centre, FQCI and INUP, with the aim of supporting startups from research to commercialisation.

According to IISc, the initiatives are intended to strengthen the innovation pipeline from research and institutional infrastructure to startup development and industry collaboration in the deep-tech and quantum sectors.

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