About the Workshop

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TRANSIT 2026 is designed as a working platform to move selected technology opportunities from broad discussion into structured project pipelines. The workshop will focus on industry-defined challenges, technology-gap analysis, collaborative project formation, validation pathways, and funding routes.

Many promising technologies remain trapped between laboratory validation and real-world adoption. The most difficult transition often occurs in the Mid-TRL stage, where technical proof must be converted into validated, reliable, certifiable, scalable, and fundable solutions.

Programme at a Glance

10 June 2026 | Wednesday | Alignment & Gap Validation
TIME
SESSION / TRACK
08:00 - 09:00 AM
Registration & Networking Breakfast
09:00 - 09:10 AM
Welcoming Remarks - Prof. Sunil Bhirud, Vice Chancellor, COEP Technological University, Pune
09:10 - 09:40 AM
Mid TRL Mission and Planned Innovation Acceleration Institute - Dr. Milind Pimprikar, Chairman, CANEUS International
09:40 - 10:00 AM
Workshop Framing By Dr. Prakash Patnaik
10:00 - 11:45 AM

TRACK A : Aerospace & Defence

Sub Topics:
  • Aerospace Propulsion
  • Defence Electronics
  • Autonomous Systems
  • Certification
  • Critical Materials
  • MSME/OEM Collaboration

Moderator:Mr. Nishanth Kashyap, Consulting Editor, Economic Times

Lead: Mr. Akhilesh Sharma, Retired Outstanding Scientist, Ex-DRDO

Panelists:
  1. Mr. Khushal Birari, Director, Asia Sourcing, Woodward, Inc.
  2. Mr. Chetan Dhariya, Director, Anant Defence System
  3. Mr. Venkatesan K, L& T Precision Engineering and Systems IC
  4. Mr. Debadatta Mishra, CEO & CTO, Apex Space Exploration Pvt. Ltd.
  5. Mr. Rajana Gangadhar, Director Customer Service & Subject Matter Expert, SAFRAN
  6. Mr. Prashant Mahajan, Head – Technology and Concept Development, L&T Ltd. Precision Engineering and Systems Ltd.
Rapporteur
  • Dr. S. S. Ohol, Associate Professor
  • Dr. P. S. Shinde, Assistant Professor

Track B : Energy

Sub Topics:
  • SMRs / Microreactors
  • Strategic Energy Systems
  • Hydrogen / Sustainable Fuels
  • Power Materials
  • Energy Hardware
  • MSME Supply Chain

Moderator: Mr. Mahesh Deodhar, Head, CSEM, PIC

Panelists:
  1. Dr. Praveenkumar C. Phutane Executive Director Kala Group
  2. Dr. Milind Kulkarni, Centre Head & Scientist 'F', CMET
  3. Mr. S. Prasad, Founder & Chairman, Krest Engineering and Technologies Pvt Ltd
Rapporteur
  • Dr. (Mrs.) Archana G. Thosar, Professor
  • Dr. Vinit Kanade
11:45 - 11:55 AM
Break
12:00 - 01:00 PM

Inaugural Ceremony

12:00 - 12:05
Arrival of Hon'ble Governor
Reception at venue entrance; escort to VIP lounge / dais as per protocol.
12:05 - 12:17
National Anthem / Vande Mataram / Maharashtra Geet
Dr. Vedant Kulkarni, Faculty, COET Tech University
12:17 - 12:20
Facilitation
Secretary to Hon’ble Governor and ACS, THE GoM
12:20 - 12:22
Launch of Mid-TRL Innovation Acceleration Handbook
Hon’ble Governor, Shri Jishnu Dev Varma
12:22 - 12:30
Welcome remarks / Context-setting remarks
Dr. Milind Pimprikar, Chairman, CANEUS International
12:30 - 12:40
Inaugural Perspective
Padma Vibhushan Dr. R. A. Mashelkar
12:40 - 12:55
Inaugural Address
Hon'ble Governor Shri Jishnu Dev Varma
12:55 - 01:00
Vote of Thanks
Prof. Sunil Bhirud, Vice Chancellor COEP Technological University.
01:00 - 02:00 PM
Lunch Break
02:00 - 03:30 PM

TRACK C : Materials, Sensors & Devices

Sub Topics:
  • High Temperature Materials
  • Composites / Additive Manufacturing
  • Sensor Materials
  • Harsh Environment Electronics
  • Materials Scale-Up
  • Systems Integration

Moderator: Dr. Prakash Patnaik

Lead: Prof. Suresh Gosavi, Vice Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU)

Panelists:
  1. Dr. Raj Kumar Singh, Head of R&D, Bharat Forge
  2. Dr. Praveen Kumar, Scientist-G, DRDO-ARDE
  3. Dr. S.S. Satheesh Kumar, Scientist 'F', DMRL
  4. Mr. Kalyan Chakravarty, Director Technology, KCS Engineering And Co., Hyderabad
  5. Mr. Bhushan Darekar, Founder CEO, AgMove Robotic
  6. Dr. Satyam S. Sahay, John Deere Fellow & Head, Advanced Engineering & AI Transformation, John Deere Enterprise Technology & Engineering Center
Rapporteur
  • Dr. Manisha Kulthe, Assistant Professor and Head
  • Dr. Mrs. N. V. Iyer, Assistant Professor
  • Mrs. Meera A. Khandekar, Assistant Professor

TRACK D : Reliability & Cost Efficiency

Sub Topics:
  • Reliability Assurance
  • Certification Pathways
  • Quality / Testing
  • Digital Manufacturing
  • Cost Reduction
  • Deployment Readiness

Moderator: Mr. Alok Mukherjee, President, Robotics Society of India

Lead: Dr. Manmohan Singh, Former Director VRDE Ahmednagar, DRDO

Panelists:
  1. Mr. Yogesh Ahlawat, Director, DGAQA
  2. Dr. Zafir Alam, Scientist 'F', DMRL
  3. Mr. Taher Sakriwala, Manager- Reliability & Safety, Electrical Sector, EATON
  4. Dr. Pradip K. Chattopadhyay, Former DRDO - online
Rapporteur
  • Dr. Bhagwan U. Sonawane, Associate Professor
  • Dr. S. S. Pardeshi, Associate Professor
03:30 - 03:45 PM
Break
03:45 - 05:00 PM
Output: Cross-sector Technology Bottlenecks
05:00 - 06:00 PM
Output: Validated Gap Themes for Day 2
06:00 - 06:30 PM
Networking
11 June 2026 | Thursday | Deep Dive & Project Formulation
TIME
SESSION / TRACK
09:00 - 09:30 AM
Output: Recap Of Day 1 Presentation Of Validated Gap Themes

Rapporteur: 3 From Day 1 (10 Min Each)
09:30 - 09:45 AM
Project Concept Formulation
Dr. Prakash Patnaik
09:45 - 11:30 AM


Parallel breakouts
Solution Ideation Breakouts



Each group defines: Problem statement Proposed solution Target TRL progression

BREAKOUT 1

Hydrogen Propulsion, Storage & Small Modular Reactors
Problem · Solution · TRL progression .

Project Concept Formulation

Group Leader:

Mr. Ajit Kate , Mahindra

Lead Speaker:
Dr. Samyak Munot, Co-Founder and CTO, IYNS TechSolutions

Mr. Hiren Bhatt, Former Scientist and Head, VEDAS Research Group

Team Members:
Others

BREAKOUT 2

Advanced Materials
Problem · Solution · TRL progression

Project Concept Formulation

Group Leader:

Dr. Milind Acharya + 3
Dr. Mr. Satish Ogale ,IISER

1 Rapporator
Team Members:

BREAKOUT 3

Drone Autonomy & Certification
Problem · Solution · TRL progression

Project Concept Formulation

Group Leader:

Brigadier Veeresh

Team Members:
Mr. Ghanshyam Naik

11:30 - 11:45 AM
Break
11:45 - 13:00 AM-2
Output: Draft 1 - Project Structuring

Each Group Develops Technical Scope Required Partners:
  1. OEMs
  2. MSMEs
  3. Academia
  4. Infrastructure Needs
  5. Funding Pathways (Govt + Private)
Output: Draft Project Concept Notes (1 Page Each)
13:00 - 14:00 PM
Hall 2 - Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 PM-1

Industry & Government Sessions Collaboration Policies & Funding
  1. MID TRL Collaboration Policy (BARC)
    Mr. Daniel Babu- Director of Technology Transfer & Collaborations
  2. Low TRL Collaboration Policy (CITER) ,
    Mr. Janak Nabhar
  3. Govt Investment Low TRL
    Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO, ANRF
  4. Govt Investment Mid/High TRL (SIDBI)
  5. Low TRL Private Investment
    Mr. Sanjay Phadke, Founding and Managing Partner, A3 Capital
  6. High TRL Private Investment
Feasibility
Funding Alignment
Strategic Importance

Output: Refined project concepts
15:30 - 15:45 PM
Break
15:45 - 17:30 PM-2
Output: Consortium Building (5-6 confirmed consortia)
Project Concept Formulation (3 To 6)

Manoj Wad
Partner
J S WAD & CO. (Advocates)
17:30 - 18:00 PM-2
Day 2 Wrap-Up
Presentation Of Top Projects
Rapporteur : 3
12 June 2026 | Friday | Commitment & Roadmap
TIME
SESSION / TRACK
09:00 - 09:30 AM-1
Output: Recap of Project Portfolio (From Day 2)
Rapporteur: 3 (10 min each)
09:30 - 11:00 AM-1
Output: Project Pitches (Plenary)
Each group presents:
  1. Problem
  2. Solution
  3. Impact
  4. Partners

Panelists: Government, OEMs & Investors

Output: Prioritized Project Shortlist
11:00 - 11:15 AM
Break
11:15 - 12:30 AM-2
Implementation Roadmap Session
Define:
  • 6-month milestones
  • 12–24–36 month goals
  • Required infrastructure (labs, testbeds)

Project Lead
Output: Draft Execution Roadmap
12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Hall 2 - Lunch
13:30 PM - 15:00 PM-1
Summary of:
  • Key Gaps
  • Priority Projects
  • Collaboration Commitments
15:00 PM - 15:30 PM-1
Output: Pune Declaration Drafting
15:30 PM - 16:00 PM
Address by Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan , Hon'ble Vice President of India
16:30 + PM-2
Closing Plenary
Final Remarks

Next Steps :
Follow-up Meetings
Program Office Creation

* Subject to Changes

Download Programme at a Glance

Dignitaries

Shri Jishnu Dev Varma

The Hon’ble Governor Maharashtra

Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar

Chancellor, ICT Mumbai

Padma Vibhushan

Prof. Sunil Bhirud

Vice Chancellor, COEP Technological University

Dr. Prashant Narnaware, IAS

Secretary to the Hon’ble Governor

Dr. Milind Pimprikar

Chairman, CANEUS International

Speakers

Mr. Nishant Kashyap

Founder & Editor ,
EConomic times

Mr. Akhilesh Sharma

Former Senior Scientist of DRDO

Mr. Khushal Birari

Director - Asia Sourcing ,
Woodward, Inc

Mr. Venkatesan K

General Manager & Head - Design & Development Centre ,
L&T Ltd. Precision Engineering and Systems Ltd.

Mr. Debadatta Mishra

CEO & CТО ,
Apex Space Exploration Pvt. Ltd.

Dr Praveen Kumar Phutane

Executive Director R&D ,
Kala Group

Dr. Milind Kulkarni

Centre Head & Scientist 'F',
Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET)

Mr S. Prasad

Founder & Chairman, Krest Engineering and Technologies Pvt Ltd

Dr. Raj Kumar Singh

Head of R&D ,
Bharat Forge

Dr. Praveen Kumar

scientist-G,
DRDO-ARDE

Dr. S.S. Satheesh Kumar

Scientist 'F' , Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL)

Mr. Kalyan Chakravarty

Director Technology ,KCS Engineering And Co. , Hyderabad

Mr. Bhushan Darekar

Founder CEO ,AgMove Robotic

Dr. Satyam Sahay

John Deere Fellow & Head, Advanced Engineering & AI Transformation

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Former Director VRDE Ahmednagar, DRDO

Mr. Yogesh Ahlawat

Director ,DGAQA

Dr. Pradip K. Chattopadhyay

Formerly served as Scientist G ,Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Dighi, Ministry of Defence, DRDO

Dr. Zafir Alam

Scientist 'F' ,
Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL)

Mr. Taher Sakriwala

Manager- Reliability & Safety, Electrical Sector ,EATON

Mr Prashant Mahajan,

Head – Technology and Concept Development, L&T Ltd. Precision Engineering and Systems Ltd.

Brigedier Viresh

BISIL

Prof. Gosavi

Vice Chancello ,
Pune University

Dr. Milind Acharya

Milman Thin Film Systems Pvt. Ltd.

Sanjay Phadke

Founding and Managing Partner, A3 Capital

Dr. Samyak Munot

Co-Founder and CTO ,IYNS TechSolutions

Mr. Hiren Bhatt

Former Scientist and Head, VEDAS Research Group

Manoj Wad

J S WAD & CO. (Advocates)

Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman

CEO , Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)

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Bridging the TRL Gap

Workshop Structure

Workshop Objectives

  • Unite R&D, industry stakeholders, investors & government agencies to drive an end-to-end technology development strategy.
  • Create application pull and compress the S-curve to accelerate commercial market adoption.
  • Maximize return on investment through coordinated collaboration across the entire supply chain.

Outcome

8-10

Priority challenge statements

3-5

Project concepts and consortia

30-60-90

Day follow-up roadmap

Venue

Event Venue

Venue: Pune International Centre
Address: S.no. 34/A, Dr Homi Bhabha Rd, Behind Centre For Development Of Advanced Computing, Mansarovar, Panchawati, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008
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