Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), recently ranked No. 1 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework's (NIRF) Sustainability category, marked World Sustainability Day with the grand finale of its second edition of the 'Ideas to Impact' (i2I) Challenge on Friday.

The event, organized by the institute's Sustainability Venture Studio under the School of Sustainability, featured 38 innovative projects developed by student teams from across India. Each prototype addressed critical themes such as carbon neutrality, circular economy, and climate resilience.

The top 10 teams will receive startup seed grants of up to ₹1 lakh each and incubation support at IIT Madras to transform their prototypes into market-ready products. Over 3,500 registrations were received this year — up from 2,500 in 2024 — with 18 finalist teams presenting their ideas during the Grand Demo Day.

Addressing the event, Tamil Nadu Special Secretary (Environment and Climate Change) Anurag Mishra, IAS, said, “The Sustain TN initiative will support 10 entrepreneurs with ₹10 lakh each to drive climate action. We are proud to collaborate with IIT Madras, which has a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti emphasized that such platforms strengthen connections between innovators and investors, while Prof. Indumathi Nambi, i2I Coordinator, said the program bridges the gap between college innovations and industry needs.

Supported by the Wipro Foundation, the i2I initiative builds upon IIT Madras' Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC), which has already funded over 100 prototypes worth more than ₹5 crore. Thirty-eight previous teams have since launched startups in green technology sectors such as sanitation, waste management, energy, and sustainable materials.

Through initiatives like i2I and CZC, IIT Madras continues to nurture technology-driven solutions to help India achieve its carbon-neutral goals.