The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, hosted the ESTIC (Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation Conclave) 2026 Curtain Raiser, at its office premises in Kochi today. The Curtain Raiser for the ESTIC 2026 theme ‘Ocean Sciences & Maritime Technologies’ was organised as a parallel event to a Stakeholder Engagement Workshop of the IndOBIS (Indian Ocean Biodiversity Information System) portal, developed to augment biodiversity research ongoing under the country’s Deep Ocean Mission. The ESTIC Curtain Raiser event, telecasted live, brought together scientists, researchers, students, and data managers to strengthen marine research and data-sharing networks in the field.

The curtain raiser event at CMLRE follows the ESTIC 2026 launch by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences and MoS in the Prime Minister's Office Dr. Jitendra Singh, held at the National Media Centre, in New Delhi on September 10, 2026.

Dr Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, Secretary, MoES, through a video message at the CMLRE event, conveyed that, “the Ministry (MoES) proudly echoes the Honourable PM's vision of ocean resources being amongst the biggest drivers of our economic growth and Viksit Bharat 2047.” He added that the ESTIC is India's flagship annual platform for scientific collaboration, bringing together discussions on cutting-edge research, disruptive innovation, and deep tech breakthroughs with Nobel laureates, global experts, and policymakers.

The curtain raiser event at CMLRE also witnessed the launch of the ESTIC ‘Ocean Science & Maritime Technology’ thematic video and information brochure. The audience was informed of the following upcoming programs being conducted by MoES during ESTIC 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from October 27-29, 2026:

• Keynote Address by Dr Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Senior Advisor to the President and Director on Ocean and Climate Policy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA.
• Invited talks by Experts, including Dr Satheesh C. Shenoi, Former Director, INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services), Hyderabad; Dr Purnima Jalihal, Former Scientist-G, NIOT (National Institute of Ocean Technology) & Founder and CTO, Engginn Renewables Pvt. Ltd. and OceanToOasis Pvt Ltd; and Dr Leena Vachhani, Associate Dean & Professor, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Bombay, Mumbai.
• Panel Discussion on ‘Ocean Science & Maritime Technology: Bridging Knowledge, Innovation and Sustainable Technology’ moderated by Dr M. Ravichandran, Former Secretary, MoES. The panellists include Commodore Abhinav D Barve, Directorate of Naval Oceanology and Meteorology, Naval Headquarters, Ministry of Defence; Dr. Grinson George, Director, ICAR-CMFRI (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology), Kochi; Dr. Shubha Satheyndranath, Merit Remote Sensing Scientist, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK; Mr. Sanjay Reddy, President, Deepsea Technologies Inc., USA; and Dr. Subba Rao Pavuluri, Chairman & Founder, Ananth Technologies, Hyderabad.

Like its prequel editions, the ESTIC 2026 aims to foster collaboration and identify pathways to strengthen India's scientific and technological capabilities towards Viksit Bharat 2047. Highlighting the resounding success of the ESTIC 2025, Dr Srinivasa Kumar Tummala informed that ESTIC 2026 is planned to be bigger, grander, and more impactful. It expects participation from each scientific institution, every government department, stakeholders, startups, and innovators from across the country. “This (ESTIC 2026) will help showcase India's full pool of scientific talent and innovation”, he added.

ESTIC 2026 is planned to cover 12 thematic areas representing emerging and strategically important fields of science, technology and innovation. Among these, Ocean Science and Maritime Technology is a key thematic session being led by MoES. Details of ESTIC 2026 are available at https://estic2026.in/.

 

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