The Vajra Industry Research & Academic Meet (VAIRAM) Workshop 2026, co-organised by GJEPC and InCent LGD IIT Madras, is taking place on 20 February 2026 at IIT-Madras, Chennai, with stakeholders from academia and industry discussing the next phase of India’s laboratory-grown diamond (LGD) growth.

The dignitaries present at the opening ceremony were Prof. Manu Santhanam, Dean (IC&SR), IIT Madras; Sanket Patel, Convener – LGD Committee, GJEPC; M.S. Ramachandra Rao, Head of the India Centre for Lab Grown Diamond (InCent-LGD) at IIT Madras; Jayanti Savaliya – Gujarat Region Chairperson, GJEPC; Ashish Borda, Convener – PMBD, GJEPC; Mital Doshi, Convener, BITC, GJEPC; and Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC. Also present on the occasion were Manish Jiwani, Co-Convener, LGD Panel, GJEPC and Bharat Ghori, Member, Diamond Panel, GJEPC.

The day’s sessions will focus on Research to Commercialisation, HPHT Technology Scale-Up, Advanced Applications Beyond Gems, and Quality & Characterisation Standards, alongside presentations by IIT Madras and industry experts.

During the event, the GJEPC-run Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) and IIT Madras will also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on diploma courses, aimed at strengthening education and skill development in emerging diamond technologies.

A book titled Laboratory Grown Diamond – Production Technologies and its Applications, authored by N. Arunachalam, S. Krishnakanth and T. Mukhilan, was also launched on the occasion.