UPES, IIT Guwahati Launch SPARC-AI for AI-Driven Clean Energy and Agritech Innovation

UPES, a Dehradun-based multidisciplinary university, has partnered with the Technology Innovation & Development Foundation (IITG TIDF) and its incubation arm, IIT Guwahati BioNEST, to launch SPARC-AI, an 18-month programme to identify, fund and accelerate student-led innovations in clean energy, agritech and cleantech.

SPARC-AI (Supporting Pioneers in AI-Driven Alternative Renewables & Cleantech for Sustainable Livelihoods and Impact) will focus on nurturing student innovators from Uttarakhand and Assam, helping them develop AI-enabled solutions tailored to the environmental, agricultural and energy challenges of their regions.

The initiative will be jointly implemented by the Artificial Intelligence Transformation Office (AITO) at UPES and IIT Guwahati BioNEST, creating a structured innovation pipeline that combines artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and sustainability to transform promising ideas into commercially viable ventures.

The programme aims to scout 50 student fellows in its first phase, provide funding to 20 fellows—10 each from UPES and IIT Guwahati—and incubate 10 high-potential startups. Selected innovators will receive kickstarter grants of INR 2 lakh each to validate proof-of-concept ideas and prepare them for market deployment.

Designed as a four-stage programme, SPARC-AI will cover field immersion and research, prototype development, venture creation, and post-incubation funding and commercialisation. Throughout the programme, participants will receive mentoring in problem identification, design thinking, AI integration, technology development, intellectual property strategy, entrepreneurship, business planning and investor pitching.

A residential bootcamp at IIT Guwahati will provide additional training in minimum viable product (MVP) development, team building, fundraising and commercialisation. The initiative will conclude with a Demo Day, where participating teams will present their innovations before investors, funding agencies and industry experts.

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr. Sunil Rai, Vice Chancellor of UPES, said that the initiative reflects the university's commitment to empowering students to solve real-world challenges through artificial intelligence. He said that the partnership with IIT Guwahati combines complementary innovation ecosystems and will help create resilient startups addressing clean energy, agriculture and sustainable livelihood challenges.

A spokesperson for IIT Guwahati BioNEST said that the programme has been designed to guide young innovators from identifying local problems to developing prototypes and launching ventures. The spokesperson added that the partnership integrates field immersion, technical mentoring, incubation support and funding opportunities to build solutions that are technologically robust and relevant to local communities.

The initiative also aligns with UPES' transformation into an AI-First University through the establishment of its Artificial Intelligence Transformation Office, which is driving AI integration across teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

UPES said that the programme complements its growing network of industry collaborations with organisations including OpenAI, Google Cloud, Salesforce and Harvard Business Impact, aimed at equipping students with advanced technologies and industry-relevant skills.

Through SPARC-AI, UPES and IIT Guwahati BioNEST aim to create a new generation of AI-enabled startups rooted in regional needs while contributing to India's clean energy transition, sustainable development and the national vision of Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat.