The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, hosted the ESTIC 2026 Curtain Raiser event focused on 'Ocean Sciences & Maritime Technologies' at its Kochi office premises. The event was organized as a parallel activity to a Stakeholder Engagement Workshop for the IndOBIS (Indian Ocean Biodiversity Information System) portal, which supports biodiversity research under India's Deep Ocean Mission. The curtain raiser was telecast live and brought together scientists, researchers, students, and data managers to strengthen marine research and data-sharing networks.
The event follows the official ESTIC 2026 launch by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh on September 10, 2026, at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. Dr Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, Secretary of MoES, emphasized in a video message that the ministry supports the Prime Minister's vision of ocean resources as major drivers of economic growth and Viksit Bharat 2047. He described ESTIC as India's flagship annual platform for scientific collaboration featuring discussions on cutting-edge research, disruptive innovation, and deep tech breakthroughs with Nobel laureates, global experts, and policymakers.
The curtain raiser included the launch of the ESTIC 'Ocean Science & Maritime Technology' thematic video and information brochure. The ministry announced several programs scheduled for ESTIC 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from October 27-29, 2026, including a keynote address by Dr Kilaparti Ramakrishna from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA, invited talks by experts including Dr Satheesh C. Shenoi, Dr Purnima Jalihal, and Dr Leena Vachhani, and a panel discussion on 'Ocean Science & Maritime Technology: Bridging Knowledge, Innovation and Sustainable Technology' moderated by Dr M. Ravichandran with panelists from naval, research, and industry backgrounds.
ESTIC 2026 will cover 12 thematic areas representing emerging and strategically important fields of science, technology and innovation, with Ocean Science and Maritime Technology being a key thematic session led by MoES. Dr Tummala highlighted that ESTIC 2026 is planned to be bigger and more impactful than ESTIC 2025, expecting participation from scientific institutions, government departments, stakeholders, startups, and innovators across India to showcase the country's scientific talent and innovation pool.