Navy’s Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue opens on science and technology cooperation

The Indian Navy's annual Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD-2026) began in New Delhi on 3 November, with this year's theme being science, technology and academic cooperation in the region.

The three-day conference is organised with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), the Navy's knowledge partner. The central question, the Navy said, is how the Indo-Pacific can turn scientific knowledge and innovation into lasting institutional cooperation, stronger maritime capabilities and shared resilience.

Day one

Adm Dinesh K Tripathi (Retd), NMF Chairman and former Chief of the Naval Staff, gave the inaugural address, followed by a special address from National Maritime Security Coordinator VAdm Biswajit Dasgupta (Retd).

• Academic networks and human capital: speakers from France, Indonesia, Japan and Maldives discussed a wider Indian Ocean academic network. A monograph, Sea Blindness and Maritime Heritage in India, was released.
• Maritime situational awareness: a session covered protecting seaborne trade and critical undersea infrastructure, the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness and underwater domain awareness, with views from the Indian Ocean Commission.
• "Sahyog Ka Samvaad": an interaction with the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and the ambassadors of the Philippines and Norway.

The ministry said the day ended with several policy recommendations on science and technology cooperation, which the release does not list.

Photos

---

Source: official release by the Ministry of Defence, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (03 NOV 2026 6:18PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: IPRD-2026 COMMENCES AT NEW DELHI, TRANSLATING SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT INTO REGIONAL COOPERATION.