February was an eventful month at IIIT-Bangalore, marked by several significant events, recognitions, and academic engagements. One of the key highlights was the MOSIP Country Conversations held in Rabat, Morocco, which brought together over 120 representatives from 35 countries for a four-day conclave. The institute also celebrated National Science Day with a session titled “The Shadow of the Lab: Navigating the Ethics of Scientific Discovery.”
IIIT-Bangalore also hosted the 3rd National Conference of the Visually Impaired Bank Employees Welfare Association (VIBEWA), themed “Inclusive Banking for Divyangjan Bank Employees.” The conference brought together over 250 participants from across India, representing public and private sector banks, regional rural banks, and other financial institutions.
February also brought notable recognitions for members of the IIIT-Bangalore community. Prof. Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT-Bangalore, received the prestigious “IESA Technovisionary Award 2026: Techno Mentor.” Prof. Uttam Kumar received the Karnataka Science Innovation/Discovery Award 2025 from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, on the occasion of National Science Day.
On the research front, Prof. Ahana Pradhan presented her paper “Defog: Extending Hidden Query Extraction to Group Filters,” co-authored with Prof. Jayant Haritsa, IISc, at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi. Prof. Srinath Srinivasa, Dean (R&D), represented the institute at the summit as a panelist in a session showcasing Data Commons (DataCommons.org).
IIIT-Bangalore also welcomed H.E. Esther Dweck, Minister of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Government of Brazil, along with a senior delegation from Brazil working in the areas of AI and digital public infrastructure.
Overall, February was a vibrant month for IIIT-Bangalore, filled with events, visits, recognitions, and research engagements.
Happy Reading!