IMECE India 2025 Highlights Innovation, Sustainability and Inclusion

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has brought its flagship International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) to India for the first time. IMECE India 2025 features 11 technical tracks and five focal areas—MSME Conclave, Innovation Square for hardware-led startups, Engineering Education Symposium, Women in Engineering panel, and Student Engagements with a six-hour design sprint. With the theme of Innovation, Sustainability, and Inclusion, the event establishes a unique platform for collaboration between academia, industry, and government to drive future-ready opportunities in engineering and technology.

The inaugural day featured inspiring addresses by eminent leaders, including Mr. Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited; Dr. K. Subramanian, Senior Vice President, Ashok Leyland and Congress Chair, IMECE India; Mr. Thomas Costabile, ASME Executive Director and CEO; and Mr.  Madhukar Sharma, President of ASME India.

Mr. Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited stated, “In the last five decades, I have seen how India has shifted from muscle power to brain power, embracing automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Today, as the world undergoes five major transitions — digital and AI, energy, bioengineering, supply chains, and human capital — India has the talent and the scale to play a defining role. It is historic that ASME has brought IMECE to India for the first time outside the United States. ASME has long been instrumental in shaping standards in the US, and here in India it can help bridge critical gaps in knowledge, technology, and research. Our challenge is not to remain a support economy, but to become a true products nation — designing and developing for ourselves, and in doing so, shaping the future of global engineering."

Dr. K. Subramanian, Senior Vice President, Ashok Leyland and Congress Chair, IMECE India 2025 emphasized: “It is an honour to lead IMECE India 2025, convening global minds to advance engineering solutions for sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity. This historic event marks a milestone in shaping transformative technologies and fostering collaboration to address critical challenges facing our world.”

Thomas Costabile, ASME Executive Director and CEO, added: “We believe that by unlocking the full potential of India's mechanical engineering ecosystem, we can collectively improve quality of life and prosperity not just in India, but around the world. The challenges we face—in energy, healthcare, climate resilience, and sustainable mobility—demand global solutions. That’s why ASME is making significant investments in India, in programs, platforms, and partnerships that will last far beyond the IMECE India event.”

Madhukar Sharma, President & Director of ASME India, noted: “IMECE India marks a historic first as 145 years of ASME excellence finally comes home. By bringing IMECE to India, ASME demonstrates its unwavering commitment to nurture the art, science, and practice of mechanical and allied engineering. Over 650 rigorously peer reviewed papers across 11 engineering domains will be presented September 11-13 at HICC, Hyderabad marking the highest-ever participation by Indian scholars at ASME IMECE in 30 years, made possible only because IMECE is happening here in India.”

The IMECE event hosted a high-level panel on “Advancing Research – Creating Vibrant and Enabling Research Architecture for Rapid Technology Development and Deployment,” featuring leaders from academia and industry including Dr. Yogi Goswami (USF), Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (Anusandhan NRF), Dr. Jitendra Sharma (AMTZ Vizag), Dr. Jocelyn Gaudin (Airbus India), and Dr. Sasikumar Muthusamy (Collins Aerospace). The discussion focused on India’s journey to becoming a global innovation hub. Panelists highlighted the nation’s strong talent base, vibrant startup ecosystem, and growing R&D focus, while noting structural challenges that limit impact. The session explored strategies to overcome these barriers, drawing on global models and proposing reforms to build a research ecosystem that fosters innovation, accelerates technology transfer, and ensures societal relevance.

Reinforcing its commitment to Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India mission, ASME is equipping engineers with the skills and exposure needed to lead advanced manufacturing. At IMECE India 2025, there were are Innovation Square and Expo Space as key highlights of the event. Innovation Square serves as a launchpad for hardware-led startups to showcase breakthrough ideas, while the Expo Space features 30+ stalls representing state governments including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, alongside leading industries and academia. Together, these platforms created opportunities for collaboration, technology exchange, and fostering an ecosystem that drives innovation, sustainability, and industry–academia partnerships.

IMECE India 2025 marks a milestone with over 650 peer-reviewed papers presented by Indian scholars—marking the highest-ever participation by Indian scholars at ASME IMECE in 30 years—alongside the dynamic 'Brain Bolt: The Engineer’s Sprint' hackathon, paper presentations, and workshops that made it the most student-driven edition. The hackathon brought together over 230 students from different universities to solve real-world challenges through design thinking and rapid prototyping, extending ASME’s student platforms including E-Fx and E-Fests while fostering creativity, teamwork, and innovation for India’s startup pipeline

With academia, industry, startups, and policymakers under one roof, IMECE India 2025 sets a precedent for how global congresses can reshape engineering education. Beyond the event, ASME’s ongoing investments in India will create long-term opportunities for students and educators through research collaborations, digital credentialing, and curriculum partnerships.