In our first webinar on 20th May 2026, we looked at how AI is transforming research while raising new questions around integrity. This session turns to a closely related and pressing concern for academia across South Asia: retractions. Nowhere is this more evident than in India, where an analysis of the Retraction Watch database (1996–2023) counts 2,950 total retractions across all disciplines.
Regulators across the region are responding regardless of discipline. In India, for instance, as of August 2025, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is set to factor in retractions recorded over a rolling three-year window when ranking institutions [1], directly tying an institution's standing and funding prospects across engineering, science, and other ranked disciplines to its retraction record. For researchers and institutions across South Asia, safeguarding integrity is no longer only a matter of individual reputation; it now shapes institutional outcomes.
This session builds on our first webinar to explore what these retraction trends mean in practice, and how institutions and researchers across disciplines can move from managing risk to building lasting research impact. Through a live product demonstration and a researcher's firsthand account, we will look at how LeapSpace supports institutions and researchers in navigating these challenges with trusted, research-grade AI.
Agenda
Welcome & Setting the Context
From Integrity to Impact: South Asia's Retraction Landscape
LeapSpace in Action: Safeguarding Integrity, Enabling Impact
Researcher Spotlight: Navigating Integrity and Retraction Risk with LeapSpace
Associate Professor, National Institute of Technology Silchar
Dr. Wasim Arif is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at the National Institute of Technology Silchar, with more than 22 years of academic and research experience. His research spans 5G/6G...