World Futures Forum (WFF) is a biennial platform of the World Entrepreneurship Development Organisation, USA and hosted by the India SME Forum, India’s largest organisation for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in a strategic collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Vienna, to advance innovation, digital transformation, and MSME competitiveness as key levers for accelerating sustainable industrial growth, across the Global South.
The strategic collaboration was formalised through a Joint Declaration signed in October 2025 to advance innovation, digital transformation, and MSME competitiveness as key levers for accelerating sustainable industrial growth, across the Global South.
The World Futures Forum 2026 is recognised as an Official Pre-Summit Event of the AI Impact Summit 2026 by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, and is organised with the support of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and the Economic Diplomacy Department of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India.
WFF 2026 aims to discuss roadmaps for shaping the future of industry, enterprise, and livelihoods across the Global South, bringing together MSMEs, policymakers, industry leaders, multilateral institutions, and technology enablers to advance practical, future-ready solutions for competitiveness, innovation, and inclusive growth.
The 2026 edition highlights AI-enabled industrial competitiveness, MSME readiness, quality and manufacturing standards, and cross-border digital trade, positioning the Global South as an active shaper of the global AI and industry agenda.
Designing high-performing industrial clusters through coordinated policy, shared infrastructure, and execution-focused growth models.
Transforming ideas into protected assets by enabling MSMEs to create, manage, and scale intellectual property.
Strengthening MSME credibility by improving standards, compliance, and readiness for global value chains.
Applying AI tools to manufacturing operations to unlock efficiency, precision, and measurable business outcomes.
Enabling MSMEs to expand internationally using digital platforms, trade technologies, and new export models.
Building practical digital systems across finance, operations, and sales to support long-term enterprise growth.
High-level conversations with policymakers, industry leaders, and global experts shaping the future of industry and MSMEs.
Open Innovation Challenge and Call for Papers to surface scalable ideas, research, and policy-relevant solutions.
MSME-ready AI, digital manufacturing, ESG, and trade solutions showcased through demos and short pitches.
Clear pathways linking discussions, innovations, and demonstrations to pilots, adoption, and scale.
Contribute to India’s AI-for-industry and MSME competitiveness agenda through direct dialogue, insights, and policy-ready outcomes.
Learn practical, real-world pathways to improve productivity, quality, exports, and sustainability using AI and digital tools.
Move from pilots to scale through proven models, cluster-based approaches, and global best practices.
Connect with governments, institutions, incubators, industry, and solution providers to co-create scalable, on-ground impact.
Join the World Futures Forum 2026 – Annual Conference on Global future trends, strategic foresight and innovative leadership. This event brings together top experts to discuss emerging scenarios, sustainable development, future technologies and policy strategies to shape tomorrow’s world.
Inaugural session featuring senior government leaders, multilateral partners, and industry leaders setting the context for AI-led industrial and MSME competitiveness.
Expert dialogue on cluster development strategies, policy frameworks, digital collaboration, and AI-enabled productivity and competitiveness.
How AI-driven design, digital monitoring, IP-led innovation, and academia–industry partnerships accelerate cluster-level innovation and scale MSMEs through global collaboration.
Enabling MSMEs to meet global standards using AI-driven quality tools and UNIDO digital frameworks to access international markets.
Co-creating India-specific cluster priorities and actionable roadmaps, including pilot projects and technical cooperation pathways.
Presentation of UNIDO’s 2025–26 India roadmap, highlighting Phase II implementation through digital skills, Centres of Excellence, and inclusive AI, aligned with AIM Global and global frameworks such as the Global Digital Compact to drive industrial transformation and inclusive growth.
Outlining key milestones, targets, and strategic priorities for India AIM Global Centres of Excellence, with a focus on the Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh CoEs.
Exploring pathways to an inclusive digital economy by enabling SME access to AI through infrastructure, open-source tools, and partnerships for financial inclusion, education, and public-good applications.
Live demonstrations of industry-ready AI and robotics solutions, showcasing real-world applications that deliver measurable efficiency, quality, and sustainability gains for MSMEs.
Closed Door Roundtable
11th & 12th
February 2026
Eros Hotel, Nehru Place,
New Delhi, Delhi 110019
2 Days