A pre-summit event to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 was successfully organised by the Centralized Training Internship and Placement (TIP) Cell of the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Goa, to celebrate the Lenovo LEAP Culmination initiative and formally launch Converge 3.0. The event brought together key stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and the innovation ecosystem to highlight the role of technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence in driving inclusive and purpose led development.
Sivakumar Dakshinamurthy, Head of Services Support ISG, Lenovo, Pratima Harite, Head Corporate Citizenship, Lenovo Corporate Marketing Group, Bhomik Shah, Founder, CSRBOX / BharatCares , Bhushan K. Savaikar, Director Directorate of Higher Education, Goa Dr. Niyan Marchon Program Director & Professor, DHE, Umesh Rathod, Innovation Manager, Western Region, AICTE, Institutions Innovation Council, Fr. Agnelo Gomes, Director, marked the strong collaboration between government, industry, and institutions.
At the launch of Converge 3.0., Umesh Rathod shared perspectives on fostering innovation ecosystems and integrating AI-led upskilling frameworks within academic institutions to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
DHE, Goa, hosted the Young Innovators Challenge under CONVERGE 3.0, a flagship programme aimed at empowering Goa’s youth. It saw 30 engineering student teams showcase their innovative projects (Poster and Prototype) aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) held on January 30, 2026.
Mayur Virkar, Founder, Chairman & CEO of CodeMax IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd., delivered an insightful talk on leveraging AI-driven, data-informed upskilling to build future-ready talent. Dr Niyan Marchon and Dr. Andrew D’Souza from DHE, were the coordinators.
