Innovation is truly meaningful when it improves people’s lives, says Russian Deputy Consul General

Aleksandr Fomin, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Chennai, G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, VIT, and G.V. Selvam, vice-president, VIT, at the inaugural event of TechnoVIT’26 on Thursday. | Photo Credit: R. Ravindran Innovation becomes truly meaningful when it improves people’s lives, said Aleksandr Fomin, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Chennai, at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Chennai on Thursday.Speaking at the inauguration of TechnoVIT’26, an international technical festival, he said: “Innovation should not belong to a small circle of specialists. It should be open to people from different disciplines and backgrounds, united by curiosity, talent, and the passion for creating something new.”Mr. Fomin said technology should help people address shared challenges. “These challenges do not stop at national borders and neither should our search for solutions,” he added.The two-day festival has over 140 events, with this year’s theme being ‘Inclusive Innovations’. Over 15,000 participants from India and 14 foreign countries — Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, France, Norway, Russia, Australia, Tanzania, the U.A.E., and North America — will be attending the event.Addressing the gathering Arulselvam Harikrishnan, vice-president, operations and logistics, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, said any innovation or invention, unless there was a purpose behind it, would not be sustainable, and said purpose should be for humanity.G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, VIT, said: “Science and technology are useful for any societies that want to grow and develop economically.”G.V. Selvam, vice-president, VIT, T. Thyagarajan, pro-vice chancellor, VIT Chennai, K. Sathiyanarayanan, director, VIT Chennai, P.K. Manoharan, additional registrar, VIT Chennai, and M. Jayasudha, convenor, TechnoVIT, were also present at the function. Published - September 03, 2026 09:15 pm IST