The Condition Assessment Techniques in Electrical Systems (CATCON) conference series was initiated to provide a specialized technical platform addressing the diagnostics, monitoring, and reliability assessment of electrical power assets , with strong relevance to the core interests of IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) and IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES). Over the years, CATCON has evolved into a well-established technical conference series, with seven successful editions organized across leading academic institutions in India. To date, seven editions of CATCON have been successfully organized at premier academic institutions across India. The inaugural conference was held in Kolkata in December 2013, followed by subsequent editions in Bengaluru (December 2015) and IIT Ropar (November 2017). The fourth edition took place at IIT Madras in October 2019, further strengthening the conference’s technical standing. The series continued with the fifth and sixth editions at NIT Calicut (2021) and NIT Durgapur (December 2022), respectively. The seventh CATCON, hosted by Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 2024, reinforced CATCON’s role as a focused forum for research and practice in condition assessment of electrical systems.

All past editions of CATCON have received consistent technical support from the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) and the IEEE Kolkata Section, ensuring alignment with IEEE technical and professional standards. The previous edition of CATCONs featured a rigorously peer-reviewed technical program covering key priority areas within IEEE DEIS and PES. The conference highlighted field deployable monitoring solutions, asset health indices, and risk-informed maintenance strategies for power networks operating under increased loading and renewable integration. Contributions also explored advanced signal processing, data analytics, and early applications of machine learning for fault classification and remaining-life estimation. Through strong participation from academia, utilities, and industry, CATCON has established itself as a focused and technically credible forum bridging fundamental insulation science and practical power system asset management. This foundation directly supports the expanded scope and ambitions of CATCON 2026.

The Indian Institute of Technolgy (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad is located in the prime coking coal belt of India which is 260 km away from the Kolkata city. The IIT(ISM) Dhanbad has all the facilities of a world class academic research institute and is fully residential. The Indian School of Mines was formerly opened on 9^th December 1926, by Lord Irwin, the Vice-Roy of India to address the need for trained man power related to mining activities in the country with disciplines of Mining and Applied Geology.

The Indian School of Mines has been conferred the status of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) on September 06, 2016, by the Government of India and has been renamed as Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.

The Electrical Engineering Department is one of the latest of the existing departments of IIT(ISM) and was formed in February 2005. The B.Tech course in Electrical Engineering has been started in the academic session 2006-07. Though the Electrical Engineering Department has been established recently, the Electrical Engineering Section existed in the School for over last 35 years. As a part of Mining Machinery Engineering department, the Electrical Engineering Section was fully functional with teaching and R&D activities from 1975. The Electrical Engineering Department at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad also promotes a culture of entrepreneurship and leadership, nurturing the development of future industry leaders and innovators through various initiatives and programs.
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