# NIT Calicut Hosts Indo-Norway SPARC Workshop on AI and Hyperspectral Imaging for Transforming Indian Agriculture

*Kozhikode, July 10, 2026:* The Departments of Electronics and Communication Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut successfully concluded a five-day Indo-Norway SPARC Workshop on *"Artificial Intelligence and Hyperspectral Imaging in Smart Agriculture", held from July 6 to July 10, 2026, at the institute's Chanakya Hall.

Organized under the *Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)* of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, the workshop brought together leading researchers, faculty members, industry professionals, and scholars from institutions across India to explore how emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can revolutionize Indian agriculture. The programme focused on leveraging AI, hyperspectral imaging, machine learning, deep learning, and Generative AI to enable precision farming, improve crop health monitoring, enhance food quality assessment, and support sustainable agricultural practices.

The workshop featured two distinguished experts from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway—Prof. Sony George, Professor at NTNU and SPARC Foreign Principal Investigator, and Dr. Steven Yves Le Moan, Associate Professor at NTNU and SPARC Foreign Co-Principal Investigator. Both are affiliated with NTNU's internationally renowned Colourlab, a global centre of excellence in colour science and spectral imaging. Throughout the week, they delivered expert lectures and hands-on sessions on spectral imaging fundamentals, AI-driven data analysis, machine learning applications, and emerging technologies for intelligent agricultural systems.

Nearly 60 participants from universities, research institutions, and organizations across India attended the workshop. The participants included faculty members, research scholars, postgraduate students, and professionals working in agriculture, food technology, electronics, and artificial intelligence. They received intensive training in hyperspectral imaging, advanced AI techniques, and their practical applications in agriculture and food quality evaluation.

The workshop was inaugurated on July 7 by Prof. Sunitha M. S., Director-in-Charge, NIT Calicut, in the presence of Prof. Rabibrata Mukherjee, SPARC National Coordinator from IIT Kharagpur, who attended as the Guest of Honour. Experts from the Coffee Board of India and the ICAR–Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode, also participated, highlighting the growing role of AI-enabled technologies in strengthening India's agricultural ecosystem.

The technical sessions covered a broad spectrum of topics, including the fundamentals of hyperspectral imaging, machine learning and deep learning, AI-based crop and food quality assessment, coffee and spice quality evaluation, fruit quality inspection, hyperspectral remote sensing for precision agriculture, and Generative AI applications. Participants also benefited from interactive laboratory demonstrations, practical training sessions, and a field visit to ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, where they observed real-world applications of advanced imaging technologies in agricultural research.

The workshop forms part of the ongoing academic and research collaboration between NIT Calicut* and NTNU, Norway, under the SPARC programme. By bringing together international expertise and researchers from across India, the initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge AI technologies for Indian agriculture, fostering innovations that can improve crop productivity, ensure food quality and safety, promote sustainable farming practices, and contribute to the nation's vision of technology-driven agricultural development.