Strengthening Industry–Academia Synergy: Indian Ceramic Society (InCerS) Foundation Day Held at KIIT
KIIT School of Mechanical Engineering, in collaboration with the Indian Ceramic Society (InCerS), Jamshedpur Chapter, organized the InCerS Foundation Day ceremony to initiate an association between the two organizations and foster industry–academia connections. The Indian Ceramic Society is a premier professional organization of industry leaders in ceramics, dedicated to promoting the science, technology, and industrial applications of ceramics in India. It promotes collaboration among academia, research institutions, and industry through conferences, publications, and knowledge exchange in ceramic and allied materials.
The Foundation Day was celebrated on 25th April 2026, with many members of the Society from Tata Steel, Tata Refractories, Tata Krosaki, TRL Belpahar, and others. The event was graced by Dr. Atanu Ranjan Pal, President, InCerS/CTO, Tata Steel; Dr. Saranjit Singh, Vice Chancellor, KIIT-DU; and Mr. Sujat Ali Khan, Vice Chairman, InCerS/Chief Refractories Group, Tata Steel.
The event was inaugurated by seeking the blessings of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, under whose patronage and active support the Society was formed in 1928. On this occasion, an honorary lifetime membership of InCerS was presented to Dr. Saranjit Singh, Vice Chancellor, KIIT-DU. Further, the brochure for the 90th Annual Session of InCerS was unveiled, and the event was declared open for 14th to 16th December 2026.
The event was followed by technical sessions on advanced refractories. Mr. Amit Banik, TRL Krosaki, spoke on the topic “Digitization and Automation in Steel Industry”. He highlighted the challenges of the steel and metal industry in moving towards the new age of digitization and AI. The application of robotic arms will help limit manual intervention in high-temperature and hazardous conditions. Another technical session by Mr. Sudip Mandal, RHI Magnesita, focused on hot patch repair of refractories through a low-carbon-footprint approach in steel and metal industries. The final technical session was spearheaded by Dr. Pal, who led a highly interactive hands-on session on the processes and applications of high-purity silicon in India.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Sitendu Mandal, Honorary Secretary, InCerS, where he expressed his gratitude to the Society members and faculty members of SME, KIIT, for jointly organizing the event.