Dayananda Sagar University Hosts High-Impact Net Zero Conclave Highlighting AI-Driven Pathways for Viksit Bharat 2047 in Partnership with Green TERRE Foundation

Bengaluru | December 29, 2025

How AI will be more an Accelerator of Innovation and powerful enabler for sustainability-driven decision-making in a rapidly evolving knowledge economy. 

The session was anchored by DSU leadership, led by Prof. B. S. Satyanarayana, Vice Chancellor, DSU, who outlined how DSU has created a roadmap of for DSU working with MSME and startups, to create next generation technology with complete Indian ecosystem.   All in an affordable manner with AI and Bet Zero provisions built in.  

Session I & II: Policy Dayananda Sagar University (DSU) in knowledge partnership with Green TERRE Foundation successfully hosted a one-day national conclave on “AI Adoption in Higher Education: Key for Building a Net-Zero Future Enabled Viksit Bharat 2047” on December 29, 2025. The conclave brought together policymakers, senior government officials, global sustainability leaders, academicians, industry experts, startups, MSMEs, students, farmers and civil society organizations to deliberate on accelerating India’s movement to achieve the Viksit Bharat with  Net Zero provisions built in through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies  leveraged Higher education. 

The event also served as a Curtain Raiser for the International Conference on Net Zero 2026, scheduled for September/October 2026, with the objective of fostering national and international collaborations for inclusive, sustainable, and technology-enabled development.

Inaugural Session: Policy Vision and National Commitment

The conclave was inaugurated by Dr. Srinivasulu, IFS, Principal Secretary, Department of Forest, Ecology & Environment, Government of Karnataka, who emphasized the critical role of AI-enabled data, policy assessment, and institutional collaboration in achieving India’s Net Zero commitments. He also emphasised how Karnataka is leading in 11 of the major indices. He congratulated Dayanada Sagar University on its initiative of showcasing how it’s the universities more than industries, who are better placed to facilitate the Net Zero adoption. He asked DSU to leverage its process to even create new standards for net zero adoption process.

Dr. Rajendra Shende, Former Director of UNEP  and Founder, Green TERRE Foundation, while highlighted  that DSU campus is set to be Net Zero by 2030 through the student-led efforts. He further delineated, Assessment, and Action for Net Zero.

Expert speakers deliberated on governance frameworks, AI-enabled Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV), sector-specific roadmaps, and regulatory compliance mechanisms:

• Mr. Sreekumar K. N., Siemens Ltd., presented global best practices on embedding sustainability and Net Zero targets into higher-education living labs.
• Dr. Ramesh Naidu, C-DAC Bengaluru, emphasized resource-efficient AI architectures to reduce computing-related carbon footprints.
• Mr. Navaneeth Mohan, Joint Director, Factories & Boilers, GoK, discussed the role of HSE audits in sustainable industrial operations.
• Dr. Srinivas Ravindra, Centre for Sustainable Development, Bengaluru, and Ms. Shachidevi T. K., Fichtner India, provided policy and power-sector perspectives on Net Zero transition.
• Dr. Venkatesh Raghavendra, USA, highlighted the nexus between water sustainability and resilient communities.

Panel Discussion I: Startups, MSMEs and Net Zero Action

A high-energy panel moderated by Prof. B. S. Satyanarayana showcased startup-led innovations across carbon credits, ESG, energy, Industry 4.0, healthcare, water & waste management, air pollution, and green agriculture. Panellists highlighted how AI and digital platforms are enabling them to meet accelerate product and process development. However they need more awareness of  regulatory compliance as also systems support from higher education system. Equally for MSME or Startups to adopt sustainability and circularity aspects, they felt the society also needs to be educated about it. Thus cost-effective sustainability and scalable business models can enable startups and MSMEs to be critical drivers of India’s Net Zero ecosystem.

The post-lunch technical session focused on implementation strategies:

• Dr. Aparna Gupta, Advisor, ANRF/DST, Government of India, outlined government initiatives supporting AI-enabled sustainability research.
• Dr. Lalit Dora, Dassault Systèmes, discussed integrating AI and digital twins into education, R&D, and operations for carbon management.
• Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Former Chairman, AICTE, delivered a thought-provoking address on “When Intelligence Meets Sustainability: AI for a Net Zero World”, coinciding with the release of three books on AI.
• C-DAC and IIIT Bengaluru expertspresented advanced frameworks for sustainable computing and AI-parameterized MRV systems for high-intensity carbon credits.

Panel Discussion II: Gen Z and the Future Workforce

Moderated by Dr. Sanjeev K. Shrivastava, the student-centric panel captured perspectives from Gen Z across engineering, management, law, and school education. The discussion underscored youth aspirations for purpose-driven careers, climate accountability, and the integration of sustainability into education and innovation ecosystems.

DSU’s Institutional Commitment

DSU leadership reiterated the university’s two flagship missions—“AI First & Digitalization” and “DSU as a Net Zero Campus by 2030”—positioning the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability. DSU committed to leveraging its AI/ML infrastructure, smart-campus solutions, manufacturing capabilities, and strong industry partnerships to support startups, MSMEs, and government agencies in their Net Zero journeys.

Way Forward

The conclave concluded with a strong call for sustained academia-industry-government-startup collaboration to enable an Atmanirbhar, inclusive, and Net Zero-aligned Viksit Bharat by 2047, setting the stage for deeper engagement at the International Net Zero Conference 2026.

Note to Editors:

Green TERRE Foundation ( GTF) is a not-for profit organisation in India. It is a global and local youth forum for sustainable solutions for our developmental imperatives. By nurturing the planet’s ecosystem GTF facilitates universities and higher to mainstream the future policy-makers and policy-implementers through experiential learnings. It encourages the deployment of digital technologies to speed and scale the sustainability.

Smart Campus Cloud Network (SCCN) (www.sccnhub.com) is a flagship project of Green TERRE Foundation. SCCN is a Global Network of 550+ Universities and Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) from 15 countries that localises Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Net Zero in their campuses. SCCN is mentored by Erik Solheim, (former Minister of Environment of Norway as well as former USG of United Nations), Ovais Sarmad former Dy Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, Prakash Javadekar (former Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change) and Dr Vijay Bhatkar former Chancellor of Nalanda University.

Dayananda Sagar University (DSU):

Dayananda Sagar University (DSU) is a leading institution of higher education in Bengaluru, India, committed to academic excellence, research, and innovation. DSU offers a wide range of programs across various disciplines, fostering holistic development and preparing students for successful careers and responsible citizenship.

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