Kanpur: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, organised the MC²+ Ignite outreach event at IIT Kanpur to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in India’s energy sector.
The event brought together more than 400 startups, researchers and academicians from across the region, providing a platform to discuss emerging energy technologies, research opportunities and the development of indigenous solutions for India’s growing energy needs.
Senior Officials and Energy Experts Attend Event
The programme was attended by senior government officials, BPCL leadership, IIT Kanpur representatives and experts from the energy and startup ecosystem.
Key attendees included:
- Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
- Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Planning and Programme Implementation, Science and Technology
- Sanjay Khanna, CMD, BPCL
- Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur
- Padma Vibhushan Prof. M.M. Sharma, eminent energy sector mentor
- Dr. Ashutosh Agnihotri, CEO, SIIC-IIT Kanpur
- Senthilkumar G R, Head, Corporate Strategy, BPCL
- Bharat Newalkar, Head, R&D, BPCL
The participation of industry leaders, policymakers, researchers and academic institutions highlighted the growing focus on collaboration to develop innovative solutions for India’s energy sector.
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MC²+ Ignite Focuses on Taking Innovation from Lab to Market
The programme featured discussions on India’s growing energy requirements, the innovation pipeline from research laboratories to commercial markets, and the focus areas and selection criteria of MC²+ Ignite.
Founder stories from emerging energy-tech ventures also showcased the journeys of entrepreneurs working on technology-led solutions for the energy sector.
The event provided startups and researchers with an opportunity to understand the programme and explore potential pathways for their innovations to reach the market.
‘Built, Not Imported’ Panel Highlights Indigenous Energy Technologies
A key attraction of the event was the panel discussion titled “Built, Not Imported: Startups and Energy Majors Powering India’s Energy Future.”
The discussion brought together representatives from emerging technology ventures, including:
- Arun George, Genrobotics
- Dr. Akshay Jain, Cancrie
- Ankit Jhanwar, DashamLabs
- Dr. Arnab Dutta, UrjanovaC
- Varun Kumar, Detect Technologies
- Uddhav Kumar, Lynkit
- Ankush Sarkar, H2Power Energy
The panel focused on the role of startups and established energy companies in developing indigenous technologies and strengthening India’s energy innovation ecosystem.
BPCL and IIT Kanpur Align Research with MC²+ Ignite
A technical roundtable was also organised between BPCL’s technical champions and IIT Kanpur professors.
The discussions focused on aligning research themes with the MC²+ Ignite cohort and identifying areas where academic research and industry requirements could work together to develop practical energy-sector solutions.
The outreach programme also saw participation from IIIT Lucknow, CIPET, HBTU and Kanpur University, further expanding collaboration between institutions, researchers, startups and industry.
More Than 400 Startups and Researchers Participate
More than 400 startups, researchers and academicians participated in the outreach programme from across the region.
The discussions covered India’s rising energy demand, the commercialisation of laboratory innovations and the development of indigenous energy technologies.
The initiative seeks to create stronger connections between promising startups, research institutions and opportunities in the energy sector.
MC²+ Ignite Applications Close on September 15
Startups and researchers interested in participating in the MC²+ Ignite initiative can submit their applications until September 15, 2026.
The programme is aimed at identifying promising innovations and connecting emerging ventures and research capabilities with the requirements and opportunities of India’s energy sector.
About BPCL
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is a leading Indian public sector energy company engaged across the petroleum and energy value chain. The company operates in areas including refining, fuel marketing and other energy-related businesses, while also pursuing initiatives focused on technology, research, innovation and the evolving energy landscape.
