GAIL, Petronet LNG and MC² Foundation Host ‘MC² Plus IGNITE Hyderabad Connect’ at IIT Hyderabad

New Delhi: GAIL (India) Limited, Petronet LNG Limited and MC² Foundation, in association with the iTIC Incubator of IIT Hyderabad, organised ‘MC² Plus IGNITE Hyderabad Connect’ at IIT Hyderabad on 7 September 2026.

The event aimed to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in India’s energy sector by bringing together startups, academia, research institutions and industry leaders.

Key Dignitaries Present

The gathering was addressed by:

• Shri Deepak Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited

• Shri Akshay Kumar Singh, MD & CEO, Petronet LNG Limited

• Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad

• Shri Ayush Gupta, Director (HR), GAIL

• Dr. Anil K. Khandelwal, former CMD, Bank of Baroda (Keynote Speaker)

Industry leaders, academicians, startups, entrepreneurs, students and other stakeholders also participated.

CMD GAIL’s Key Remarks

Addressing the audience, Shri Deepak Gupta said India is at a “remarkable inflection point” with rising energy demand, the goal of becoming a developed economy, the need for affordable and reliable energy, globally competitive industries, and climate commitments.

He stressed that platforms like MC² IGNITE are essential to move ideas from the laboratory to prototype, pilot, deployment and scale. Innovation, he noted, must ultimately be judged by successful real-world implementation and impact.

On Digital Asset Management, Shri Deepak Gupta highlighted the transformation of conventional infrastructure into “intelligent assets” using artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, sensors, robotics, drones and digital twins.

Other Sessions

The event also featured:

• Keynote address by Dr. Anil K. Khandelwal

• Panel discussion on innovation and the startup ecosystem

• Session by IIT Hyderabad

• Presentation by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) on Avinya’27, the Energy Start-up Challenge and India Energy Week 2027

The initiative reinforces the collaborative push by public sector energy companies and academia to foster a stronger innovation and startup ecosystem in India’s energy domain.