Thank you for joining us at Engaging India @ Almedalen 2025
6th Year of Engaging India @ Almedalen
Over the past few years, there has been an exponential rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across domains and sectors, with both India and Sweden have seen substantial private and public investment in AI technologies. The adoption of such technologies are expected to mitigate some of the biggest challenges in scalability, accessibility, service delivery, and efficiency in growth. However, while the benefits of the application of AI models are distinct, the challenges are also significant. At Engaging India at Almedalen 2025, with the theme Samband for Climate: AI, Sustainability, and Next-Gen Innovation, we hear from thought leaders, dignitaries, and start-ups on how they are leveraging AI to drive real, lasting environmental change, while mitigating some of its biggest challenges. Join us on 24 June 2025 at E22 Almedalsbiblioteket, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland for keynote speeches, panel discussions, case-study presentations, and a start-up pitch session to see how India and Sweden are collaborating through innovation and a shared vision.
Meet our speakers at Engaging India @ Almedalen 2025
Daniel Westlén
State Secretary,
Ministry of Climate & Enterprise
Mayank Singhal
Vice Chairman & MD,
PI Industries
Klaus Kunz
Founder, Ephrin
Head of Global Development,
PI Industries
Per Andersson
Head of Secretariat,
Leadership Group for Industry Transition
Annika Ramsköld
Vice president Corporate Sustainability, Vattenfall AB
Owe Ronström
Professor Emeritus,
Uppsala University
Viral Thakker
Partner & Leader,
Sustainability & Climate, Deloitte
Rémy Kolessar
Director of international Collaboration, Vinnova
Swaminathan Ramanathan
Lecturer, Uppsala University, Director, Deloitte
Erik Enecker
CEO and cofounder, Ecometrix
Shilpa Sachdeva Bhullar
Group Risk & Compliance Officer,
PI Industries
Karthik Laxman Kunjali
CEO, Stockholm Water Technology
Rupali Mehra
Founder, Content People AB & Chief Marketing Officer, Spowdi AB
_edited.jpg)
Raine Isaksson
Associate professor & Docent,
Uppsala University
Mats Risberg
Strategic Relationship Manager,
Exponential roadmap Initiative
What happened at EIA 2025
In the opening segment, Professor Owe Ronström, Emeritus at Uppsala University and one of the event's co-organizers, set the tone with an appeal to bridge global and local climate dialogues. Drawing on the tradition of the "triple helix" framework—where academia, industry, and government collaborate—he emphasized how Engaging India creates a vital platform for co-thinking and co-creation between Sweden and India Prof. Ronström explained that this 6th edition of the seminar is centered on "Samband for Climate," exploring the intersection of sustainability, AI, and next-generation innovation. He highlighted that the event aims to build trust-based ecosystems where transparent data sharing, ethical innovation, and collaborative experimentation can thrive. The introduction stressed that tackling hard-to-abate sectors like heavy industry, agriculture, and urban utilities requires joint Swedish–Indian innovation, driven significantly by advances in AI and digitalization.
Hear it from our speakers
“Purpose is transmitted with intent.”
Mayank Singhal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of PI Industries, redefined sustainability as core business strategy, calling for high fidelity of values and execution, and proposing India-Sweden synergy as a sustainability model.
“We used to call steel and cement ‘hard-to-abate’, but that is changing.”
Daniel Westlén, State Secretary, Swedish Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, reaffirmed Sweden’s climate commitment, highlighting LeadIT and the vital role of India-Sweden partnerships and AI in industrial decarbonisation.
“This is like Uber for farmers.”
Viral Thakker, Partner and Climate Leader at Deloitte South Asia, showcased a digital platform tackling stubble burning in India, linking circular biofuels, public health gains, and a potential SAF revolution through scalable innovation.
This focused dialogue explored the intersection of trust, artificial intelligence, and climate innovation, highlighting how meaningful collaboration between Sweden and India can drive scalable and responsible solutions. Speakers reflected on building credibility in emerging technologies, fostering inclusive partnerships, and aligning digital transformation with climate goals to accelerate progress in critical sectors.
Panel Discussion
This high-level panel brought together voices from policy, industry, and innovation to explore one of the most urgent climate challenges: how to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, and chemicals. With a strong Indo–Swedish focus, the discussion revolved around translating ambition into action, scaling clean technologies, aligning regulations, and leveraging AI and public and private partnerships to drive industrial transformation at speed and scale.
This reflective session featured a high-level exchange between thought leaders from Sweden and India, highlighting the role of visionary leadership, ethical innovation, and strategic partnerships in accelerating climate action. The conversation offered nuanced perspectives on bridging policy and practice, fostering trust, and aligning global innovation with local impact.
Startups
This dynamic segment spotlighted emerging climate-tech startups from India and Sweden, each presenting breakthrough innovations aimed at solving real-world environmental challenges. From water-tech and sustainable materials to ESG data platforms and agri-tech AI, the pitches showcased the power of entrepreneurship in driving the green transition. It was a fast-paced, solutions-focused session connecting early-stage innovation with global impact potential.
Agenda for the day
14.00-15.20
Session 1:
Samband for Climate: Sustainability, AI & Next Gen Innovation
14.00-14.10 Introduction to Engaging India at Almedalen
14.10-14.20 Opening Talk: Professor Emeritus Owe Ronström, Uppsala University
14.20-14.30 Keynote: Embassy of India, Stockholm, Sweden
14.30-14.40 Keynote: Daniel Westlén, State Secretary, Ministry of Climate & Enterprise, Sweden
14.40-14.50 LeadIT Announcement
14.50-15.00 Special address: 'Why Sustainability Makes Business Sense' - Mayank Singhal, MD, PI Industries
15.00-15.30 Panel discussion 1: Sustainability, AI & Next Gen Innovation - How do we accelerate Industry Transition?
Per Andersson, Head of Secretariat, Leadership Group for Industry Transition
Annika Ramsköld, Head of Sustainability, Vattenfall
Rémy Kolessar, Director International Cooperation, Vinnova
David Högnelid, Vice President Minerals, LKAB
Erik Enecker, CEO, Ecometrix
Moderator: Rupali Mehra, Founder, Content People AB, Head of Asia, Spowdi
15.30- 15.45
Coffee Break
15.30- 15.45 15 min break
15.45-17.00
Session 2:
Scaling for Climate: Sustainability, AI &
Next Gen Innovation
15.45-16.00 Fireside chat: 'How do we create a Climate Resilient Food System?' -
Klaus Kunz, Head of Global Development, PI Industries & Founder. Ephrin
Moderator: Swaminathan Ramanathan, Lecturer, Uppsala University & Director, Deloitte
16.05-16.20 Case study presentation: 'Climate Smart Farming – A Case for Future Fuels' -
Viral Thakker, Partner & Climate Leader, Deloitte
16.20-16.55 Panel discussion 2: Sustainability, AI & Next Gen Innovation - How do we scale Climate Solutions?
Raine Isaakson, Docent, Uppsala University
Viral Thakker, Partner and Leader, Climate and Sustainability, Deloitte
Karthik Laxman Kunjali, Co-Founder & CEO, Stockholm Water Technology AB
Mats Risberg, Strategic Relationship Manager, Exponential Roadmap Initiative
Shilpa Sachdeva Bhullar, Group Risk & Compliance Officer, PI Industries
Cecilia Oldne, Chief India Representative, SIBC
Moderator: Swaminathan Ramanthan, Lecturer, Uppsala University & Director, Deloitte
16.55- 17.00
5 min Break
16.55-17.00 5 minute break
17.00-18.00
Session 3:
Starting Up for Climate: Sustainability, AI & Next Gen Innovation
17.00-17.30 The Lightning Pitch: Startups share their innovation, what they are solving for and how they plan to scale.
1. Traced Systems
2. Sticky Solar Power
3. Arkyv.ai
4. Cyclothe
5. Caplyzer
17.30-17.40 Closing remarks
17.40-18.00 Fika and networking
Engaging India was started in 2019 during Almedalen Week as a multi-disciplinary platform for thought-leaders, academia, governments & industries to engage, exchange, and collaborate on ideas of development, innovation, and knowledge sharing.
Now celebrating 5 years, Engaging India at Almedalen is an annual seminar held as part of the official
Almedalen Week, with a focus on how collaboration between Swedish and Indian innovation ecosystems can
foster new approaches, frameworks and solutions for sustainability that is available for everyone.