Kolkata: The 7th ICC Global Education Summit 2026, organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce at The Park, Kolkata, concluded successfully, convening distinguished policymakers, global education leaders, academicians and industry experts under the theme “Re-imagining Higher Education for Viksit Bharat @2047: Transforming Governance, Curriculum & Talent for a Global Knowledge Era.”
The summit opened with a welcome address by Mr. Satyam Roychowdhury, Chairman, ICC National Expert Committee on Higher Education & Training and Chancellor of Sister Nivedita University, followed by the Theme Address by Mr. Pradip Agarwal, Summit Chairman and CEO of the Heritage Group of Institutions, who emphasized governance reforms, industry-aligned curriculum, innovation ecosystems and global benchmarking as key enablers of India’s knowledge leadership. Ms. Julia Martin, French Language & Education Attaché, French Embassy, New Delhi, highlighted the growing significance of Indo-French academic collaborations and international mobility.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by Chief Guest Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Education and Minister of State for the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India, who participated in the ceremonial lamp lighting. In his address, Dr. Sukanata Majumdar underscored the transformative measures undertaken by the Government of India in education, including implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, expansion of higher education access, strengthening of research and innovation frameworks, promotion of digital learning initiatives, skill-based education reforms, and focused development of educational infrastructure in the North Eastern Region.
Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Advisor & Professor of Eminence, Reliance Jio Institute and Former Chairman, UGC, spoke on regulatory evolution and institutional excellence. Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, addressed the alignment of higher education with India’s economic growth ambitions and global competitiveness. Mr. Madan Mohan Mohanka, Chairman, Tega Industries, emphasized industry-academia convergence and innovation-driven development. The formal Vote of Thanks was delivered by Mr. Simarpreet Singh, Co-Chairman, ICC National Expert Committee on Higher Education & Training and Director, JIS Group.
The summit featured comprehensive deliberations on “Roadmap for Viksit Bharat 2047 through Future-Ready Edu-Institutions: Innovative Pedagogy & Curriculum Design” and “Future-Ready Universities: Translational Research & Industry-Academia Engagement.” Moderated by Prof. Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay and Prof. Saibal Chattopadhyay, Former Director of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, the sessions brought together eminent panelists including Prof. Dr. Biswajoy Chatterjee (Vice-Chancellor, UEM Jaipur), Prof. (Dr.) Anupam Basu (Raja Ramanna Chair Professor, Jadavpur University), Dr. V. K. Rai (CEO, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park), Ms. Natasha Agarwal (OmDayal Group), Dr. Biswajit Saha (Director – Skill Education, CBSE), Prof. Ajay Kumar Ray (Director, JIS Institute of Advanced Studies & Research), Prof. Sibaram Khara (Vice Chancellor, Sharda University), Mr. Manojit Sengupta (Tata Consultancy Services), Prof. Vibha Tandon (Director, CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Biology), and Mr. Tathagata Ghosh (Managing Director, Accenture Technology). The deliberations underscored the importance of innovative pedagogy, translational research, industry collaboration, emerging technologies, and skill-integrated models in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
The summit reaffirmed a collective commitment to strengthening India’s higher education ecosystem and positioning the nation as a global knowledge powerhouse by 2047.
