UPES partnered with IIT Guwahati’s Technology Innovation and Development Foundation (IITG TIDF) and its incubation centre, IIT Guwahati BioNEST, to launch a new initiative that will help students develop AI-based solutions for clean energy, agritech and cleantech challenges. Named Supporting Pioneers in AI-Driven Alternative Renewables & Cleantech (SPARC-AI), the 18-month programme aims to identify and support student innovators from Uttarakhand and Assam by helping them transform ideas into commercially viable startups.
Fifty Students to Be Selected
The programme will follow a four-stage process covering research, prototype development, venture creation and commercialisation. It plans to identify 50 student fellows, provide funding to 20 of them, 10 from each institution, and support up to 10 startups through incubation. Each selected project will also receive a kickstarter grant of ₹2 lakh to develop proof-of-concept solutions.
According to the institutions, the programme is designed to address local challenges in Uttarakhand and Assam by combining artificial intelligence with clean energy and sustainable technologies. Students will receive mentoring in AI integration, product development, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, business planning and investor pitching throughout the programme.
A residential bootcamp at IIT Guwahati will further help participants refine their minimum viable products and prepare for venture creation. The programme will conclude with a Demo Day, where student teams will present their innovations to investors, industry experts and funding agencies.
Sunil Rai, Vice Chancellor, UPES, said, “At UPES, we believe that the most consequential innovations of our time will emerge not from boardrooms, but from the ground up — from students who deeply understand the communities they seek to serve. SPARC-AI is a natural extension of our identity as India’s AI-First University and this partnership will enable students to apply AI to some of the most pressing challenges in clean energy, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods. This partnership with IIT Guwahati brings together two complementary innovation ecosystems and creates a powerful bridge between regional realities, advanced technology and student entrepreneurship. We are confident it will produce ventures that are as resilient as the regions that inspire them.”
Strengthening AI-Led Innovation
The collaboration also supports UPES’ broader strategy of becoming an AI-first university. The university recently established its Artificial Intelligence Transformation Office (AITO) and has expanded partnerships with technology companies, including OpenAI, Google Cloud and Salesforce, to integrate AI into teaching, research and innovation. As reported by saurenergy.com, the partners said SPARC-AI is expected to create a pipeline of AI-enabled startups that can contribute to sustainable development while promoting innovation-led growth in India’s clean energy and agritech sectors.
