Workshop highlights importance of bridging gap between academic research and industry requirements
Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has underscoring the Government’s commitment to strengthening indigenous innovation, promoting research and empowering young innovators in the telecommunications sector.
Inaugurating the Workshop on 5G Use Case Labs at the 10th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, he highlighted the pivotal role of students, researchers and academic institutions in developing innovative 5G applications and preparing India’s talent ecosystem for next-generation communication technologies.
Held under the theme “Building Intelligent Networks: Innovations Driving the 5G Advanced and 6G Era”, the workshop aims to foster industry-academia collaboration and accelerate the translation of academic research into practical, technology-driven solutions.
The workshop also highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between academic research and industry requirements, enabling young talent to contribute to India’s evolving digital and telecommunications landscape. Through these laboratories, students and researchers can explore emerging technologies, experiment with real-world applications and develop solutions with potential benefits across sectors, the Ministry of Communications said on 9 Oct.
“The networks of tomorrow will be imagined not only in exhibition halls but also in our universities, research laboratories and the minds of young innovators. The 100 5G Use Case Labs were established not merely to provide infrastructure, but to nurture innovators capable of developing solutions for India and the world,” said Scindia.
Addressing the gathering, Amit Agrawal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, emphasised the importance of nurturing innovation beyond conventional infrastructure development and empowering the country’s academic and research ecosystem to shape the future of telecommunications.
The workshop reaffirmed the Government’s focus on fostering collaboration among academia, industry and research institutions to accelerate technology development, promote indigenous solutions and prepare India’s talent pool for the 5G Advanced and 6G era.
By placing young innovators and academic research at the centre of technological advancement, the initiative supports India’s ambition to emerge as a global hub for telecommunications innovation and contribute to the vision of a technologically empowered and self-reliant nation.
Addressing the participants at the One-Day Workshop on 5G Use Case Labs, Minister Scindia congratulated the winners of 5G Innovation Hackathon (Edition-2) 2026 and 50 finalists for demonstrating the innovative potential of India’s young talent and encouraged all 1,400 participating teams to continue pursuing new ideas and technological solutions.
Minister Scindia commended the officers of Department of Telecommunications (DoT), who completed the specialised Capacity Development Programme on Network and Mobile Security. This program included prestigious international certifications like CISSP, CEH, PenTest, CySA etc. Recognising successful completion of the program and their role in strengthening the security of India’s digital infrastructure, Union Minister Shri Scindia distributed the Certificates and Badges to the officers.
The Minister underscored the importance of 5G Advanced, 6G and research laboratories in shaping India’s telecommunications future, he and called for collaborative efforts to develop intelligent networks that are designed and built in India and trusted globally.
Secretary, DoT congratulated the participating teams and highlighted that innovation should extend beyond competitions and prototypes to intellectual property creation, entrepreneurship, industry partnerships and commercial deployment.
The workshop reinforced the importance of connecting academic research, industry requirements and national technology priorities to accelerate India’s transition from technology adoption to indigenous technology development.
The Department of Telecommunications reiterated its commitment to strengthening research, encouraging entrepreneurship and fostering collaboration among academia, startups and industry to advance India’s capabilities in 5G Advanced, 6G and next-generation telecommunications.
In October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded 100 5G Use Case Labs to academic institutions across the country. Established under a Government initiative with an outlay of Rs.97.67 crore, all 100 labs became operational by April 2025.
The initiative aims to strengthen practical learning, promote research and development in 5G technologies, encourage industry-academia collaboration and enable startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access 5G infrastructure for developing innovative applications.
The initiative has delivered encouraging results. By August 2026, more than 17,400 students had utilised the labs, while 97 institutions were conducting 5G courses with over 21,000 students enrolled. The initiative has contributed to the development of 634 products and use cases, with 158 intellectual property filings and 32 patents granted. The participating institutions have also strengthened partnerships with startups, MSMEs and other academic and research organisations.
This year, the Hackathon received more than 1,400 proposals across emerging telecommunications domains, including 5G Advanced, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), non-terrestrial networks, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), network slicing and telecommunications security. The 5G Innovation Hackathon has further strengthened the innovation ecosystem established through the 100 5G Use Case Labs initiative.
Of these, 50 teams were selected and supported with seed funding to develop their ideas. As many as 35 teams are showcasing their innovations at IMC 2026, providing an opportunity to demonstrate their solutions, engage with industry stakeholders and explore avenues for further development and commercialisation. Fiinews.com
