The CII Centre of Excellence for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Startups (CII CIES) inaugurated ICONN Summit 2025 at T-Hub, bringing India’s leading corporates, policymakers, investors, and innovators together to shape the country’s next phase of technology-led growth.
Telangana Outlines Next Tech Leap: Trusted AI, Cybersecurity & Biologics
Delivering the inaugural address, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, ITE&C and Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana, shared the State’s ambitious technology roadmap.
He announced the launch of the AI Hub, with a sharp focus on cybersecurity, biologics, and new Centres of Excellence.
He said,
“Our goal is to position Hyderabad as a global node for trusted AI, biotech innovation, and next-generation digital infrastructure.”
Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, CII CIES Advisory Board & Chairman, Axilor Ventures, underlined the growing significance of industry–startup collaboration.
He stated:
“Industry working with startups is nation building. When established companies partner with innovators, we accelerate growth, create quality jobs, and build solutions at scale for India and the world.”
He urged India’s family offices to take a more active role in the innovation economy and emphasized the need for strong IP frameworks.
“Family offices can create a multi-billion-dollar VC fund to fuel deeptech startups. For long-term competitiveness, India must prioritise intellectual property and strong IPR culture.”
R&D Must Be Recognised as an Industry
Dr (Mrs) Suchitra K Ella, Vice President, CII, called for India to significantly expand its research and development capacity.
She said:
“India must give industry status to the R&D sector. This will unlock investments, attract talent, and enable deeper collaboration between academia, startups, and corporates. It is essential if India wants to lead in science and technology.”
ICONN Summit—A National Convergence for Innovation
In his special address, Mr. C. K. Ranganathan, Co-Chairman, CII National Startup Council, stressed the Summit’s role in uniting the country’s innovation ecosystem.
Key Releases & Recognitions at ICONN Summit 2025
ICONN 2025 introduced several major releases, showcasing India’s rapidly growing innovation landscape:
- Winners Announcement: CII Startupreneur Awards 2025 – recognising promising early-stage & growth-stage startups.
- Report Release: “Engineering Hardware Startup Ecosystem: Opportunities & Challenges” – insights into the deeptech and hardware landscape.
- Report Release: “Democratising Access to Finance in India” – recommendations for strengthening financial inclusion.
- Launch of “Women in Innovation” Compendium – highlighting achievements of emerging women innovators.
CII CIES also showcased its market-access programmes, global delegations, startup affiliation initiatives, and partnerships with global ecosystems in the UK and Japan.
