IIMA Endowment Fund Hosts First AID Conference to Accelerate India’s Development Journey

• Bilkul Online
• Ahmedabad, December 13, 2025
• The IIMA Endowment Fund, the unified fundraising and philanthropic arm of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), hosted the first-ever Accelerating India’s Development (AID) Conference at the IIMA campus on December 12. Conceived as a platform to move India from intent to impact through collaborative social responsibility, the conference brought together leaders from industry, philanthropy, academia, government and development practice to deliberate on India’s development priorities as the nation advances towards Viksit Bharat.

Drawing on IIMA’s six decades of academic excellence and nation-building legacy, AID is structured around four strategic pillars—Rural Entrepreneurship & Livelihoods, Innovation and Research for Good, AI for Good, and Training for Good. These pillars aim to strengthen community capabilities, promote rural upliftment, catalyse innovation and leverage technology for inclusive governance and public welfare.

Opening the conference, Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA, highlighted the scale of India’s ambition for Viksit Bharat 2047 and underscored the role of academic institutions in enabling accelerated, non-linear growth. Emphasising the importance of MSMEs and skilled talent, he noted that institutions like IIM Ahmedabad must play a pivotal role in building future-ready leadership and capabilities for India’s growth journey.

Prof. Sunil Maheshwari, Dean (Alumni & External Relations), reflected on IIMA’s enduring ethos of leadership and community building, noting that the AID framework creates structured pathways for translating academic strengths into meaningful societal impact.

Addressing the gathering, Deep Kalra, Chairman, IIMA Endowment Fund Board, called for a shift from corporate social responsibility to collective social responsibility. He highlighted the role of the Endowment Fund in enabling scalable, outcome-driven solutions aligned with national development priorities.

The keynote segment also featured insights from  Madan Mohanka, Chairman, Tega Industries, who spoke on the transformative impact of IIMA’s case-method pedagogy and stressed the need for India to evolve into a job-creating economy driven by entrepreneurship.  Naresh Kothari, Founder and Managing Partner, Alpha Alternatives, urged India to chart its own distinctive development path by leveraging its unique strengths and collective potential.

A key highlight of the conference was the launch of a comprehensive report showcasing IIMA faculty research from the past five years across the four AID pillars, reinforcing the Institute’s commitment to evidence-based policymaking and public purpose research.

The conference featured multiple thematic panel discussions on topics including family offices as impact multipliers, blended finance, women’s entrepreneurship, AI for inclusion and governance, and strengthening India’s social workforce. Over 40 eminent speakers shared insights on how collaboration, technology and community-centred design can accelerate progress towards Bharat@2047.

The event also marked five impactful years of the IIMA Endowment Fund in supporting institution-building, alumni engagement and initiatives aligned with IIMA’s mission. Delivering the closing address,  Srikrishnan Srinivasan, CEO, IIMA Endowment Fund, emphasised that the momentum created through AID would continue to guide collective efforts towards scalable and sustainable national impact.

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