A five-day bilateral symposium bringing together refiners, catalysis researchers, sustainable-fuel innovators and digital-refinery specialists from India and Russia — lectures, panels, poster sessions, industry visits and cultural exchange on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
The complete event brochure — themes, programme, registration and travel details — is available to preview, and will open in a new tab.
The Russia–India Advanced Petroleum Refining & Digital Refineries Week continues the dialogue between IIT Guwahati and leading Russian universities, building on institutional agreements in petroleum refining and digital refinery technologies.
The 2026 edition, hosted at the Conference Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, spans five technical themes — from downstream refining and petrochemicals to AI-enabled digital refineries — through invited lectures, panel discussions, poster sessions, student interaction and visits to operating refinery facilities in Assam.
The Week is designed to seed joint research projects, faculty and student exchange, and long-term academia–industry cooperation between the two countries.
Each theme runs as a dedicated session of invited lectures followed by discussion, chaired by IIT Guwahati.
Residue upgradation, refinery–petrochemical integration, crude-to-chemicals pathways.
Hydroprocessing, FCC and novel catalytic materials for cleaner, higher-value fuels.
Biofuels, bio-ethanol, SAF and decarbonization routes for the transport sector.
Carbon materials, lubricants and specialty chemicals from refinery streams.
Industry 4.0, AI/ML for process operations, smart control and digital competencies.
Hands-on problem solving at the heart of the opening day — student teams take on a real refining-industry case study and defend their solution before a jury of industry and academic leaders.
The RIRW 2026 Case Championship opens the Week on Day 1, 2 November 2026, at the Conference Centre, IIT Guwahati. Working in small teams, participants receive a practical case study drawn from real refinery and digitalisation challenges — evaluating the problem, building a well-reasoned position, and presenting it before a mixed jury of invited speakers, industry R&D professionals and IIT Guwahati faculty.
The championship gives students and research scholars direct exposure to the questions refiners actually face: improving energy efficiency, cutting emissions, integrating digital tools and designing cleaner products. Winning teams are recognised at the closing ceremony of the Week, and every participant receives a certificate.
Challenges drawn from operating refinery scenarios, energy-transition briefs and digitalisation cases. Teams present and defend their results on Day 4 · 5 November, 14:20–15:50.
A three-member commission: Sergey Vladimirovich Ovchinnikov and Nina Alexandrovna Sukhova (Gazprom Neft Corporate University), with Dr. Voolapalli Ravi Kumar (BPCL Corporate Research & Development Centre).
Universities Day with thirteen presenting institutions, the Numaligarh Refinery corporate visit, and the joint-research and exchange-programme sessions with the Russian delegation.
e-certificates for all participants. Winners are announced and awarded at the Case Championship on Day 4 · 5 November.
Team entries are submitted through the main registration portal. Case statements will be shared with registered teams ahead of the Week.
Confirmed speakers and delegates will be announced progressively. New confirmations appear here as they arrive.
Oral and poster abstracts are invited from research scholars across all five themes. An abstract is required to present an Oral or a Poster session — submit using the official abstract template below. The abstract submission deadline has been extended to 30 September 2026 — two extra weeks to prepare your submission. IIT Guwahati and Local University students are invited to participate at no cost, with full access to all Oral and Technical sessions (no abstract required for attendance). A separate registration portal for IITG and local-university attendees is provided below.
| Category | Registration Fee |
|---|---|
| IIT Guwahati and Local Universities No Fee Complimentary participation — no registration fee, full access to all sessions. No abstract required to attend. Abstract required to present an Oral session. | NO FEE |
| Attendee / Listener — for participants attending the conference without presenting a paper. | As per category above |
| *Students / Research Scholars (other institutions) | ₹5,000 + GST |
| Faculty | ₹10,000 + GST |
| Industrial Person | ₹12,000 + GST |
*Accommodation is provided only for students and research scholars. Registration fees cover food for the full duration of the Week for all categories. For IIT Guwahati and Local University students, access to all Oral and Technical sessions is free. However, registration is mandatory even though there is no fee.
Registration Portal View Brochure Download Abstract Template
The symposium will be held at the Conference Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, on the institute's 700-acre campus on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river, about 20 km from Guwahati city centre and Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU), which offers direct connections to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Delegate accommodation will be arranged in the institute guest house and partner hotels in Guwahati. Local transport between the airport, hotels and campus will be provided for registered delegates.
November in Assam is pleasantly cool and dry (roughly 15–28 °C) — ideal for the campus tours, the Numaligarh visit and the closing Brahmaputra cruise. Delegates are encouraged to extend their stay to visit Kaziranga National Park and other attractions of Northeast India.
Visa: International delegates should apply for an Indian Conference Visa; invitation letters will be issued on registration.
Sponsorship opportunities are available across platinum, gold and exhibition tiers.