The two-day Global Alumni Meet 2026 will be hosted by Poojya Doddappa Appa College of Engineering, run by Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society.

The two-day Global Alumni Meet 2026 will be held at PDA Engineering College from 21 February.

The meet will be hosted by Poojya Doddappa Appa Engineering College, managed by Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society (HKES), with the aim of bringing together former students from across the world.

Speaking at a press conference held at the university premises on February 18, HKES president Shashil G. Namoshi said that around 3,000 graduates from various professional fields are expected to attend the event.

Mr. Namoshi said 2,011 graduates have already registered and more than 500 graduates are expected to enroll, indicating a huge response. Graduates from the United States, Dubai, the United Kingdom and Australia are among those expected to attend and reconnect with their alma mater.

The meeting will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi. Minister of Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises Sharanabasappa Darshanapur and Minister of Forests, Ecology and Environment Eshwar B. Khandre, both graduates, will also be present.

Surinder Pal Singh Saluja, founder chairman of Premier Energies and a distinguished alumnus, will attend as the chief guest. Former Director General of Police Raghavendra Auradkar will also attend as the guest of honour. Mr. Namoshi will chair the program.

Mr. Namoshi said that the cornerstone of the PDA Alumni Research and Technology Park and the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence will be laid during the alumni meeting. The initiative aims to promote entrepreneurship, increase employability and create a strong alumni-led mentoring network for career guidance. A dedicated incubation center is also proposed to support startups and early-stage ventures and promote collaboration between industry and academia to strengthen technical research.

The first day will consist of the opening ceremony, signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, speeches of the successful students, congratulations of the graduates and cultural programs. The second day will include the department’s technical sessions, feedback interactions and the graduation ceremony.

NAIN 2.0 project

NAIN 2.0 (New Age Innovation Network 2.0), the flagship innovation and entrepreneurship initiative of the Government of Karnataka, is being implemented at PDA College of Engineering.

Nagesh Salimath, District Innovation Partner of the NAIN 2.0 project, explained that the program is being implemented through the Department of Electronics, IT, IT and Science and Technology in collaboration with the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, with the aim of nurturing grassroots innovation by integrating colleges, students, industry mentors and incubation ecosystems on a unified platform.

At PDA College of Engineering, the government will sanction up to ₹1.86 crore for the NAIN 2.0 project for a period of three years to strengthen innovation infrastructure and promote student-led start-ups. Currently, 10 projects are being implemented in the institution with a total approved funding of Rs 13 lakh. Mr. Salimath added that the initiative provides seed funding, innovation and incubation lab support, structured mentoring and industry connections to enable students to transform their academic ideas into viable products and sustainable ventures.

HKES vice president Raja Bhimalli and secretary Udaykumar Chincholi were present.