The importance of ocean sustainability, safety, resilience, and India’s leadership in advancing ocean research under the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science was highlighted at the inaugural session of the five-day International Indian Ocean Science Conference 2025 (IIOSC-2025), organized by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad on Monday (December 1, 2025).
The conference, being attended by about 500 participants from 15 countries representing research institutes, academia, industry, and NGOs, aims to showcase progress and scientific knowledge gained during the second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) spanning 2015–2025.
The event provides a platform for scientists working on various facets of the Indian Ocean to present research findings, exchange ideas, identify knowledge gaps, and chart a roadmap for addressing outstanding issues. Key speakers included Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran, UNESCO-IOC Secretariat Head T. Srinivasa Kumar, and INCOIS Director T.M. Balakrishnan Nair, along with leading scientists from India and abroad.
The programme will outline the future roadmap of IIOE-2, including new initiatives aligned with the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Discussions will focus on addressing knowledge gaps and challenges in coastal research and monitoring, marine spatial planning (MSP), and enhancing engagement of research communities in the western Indian Ocean, marginal seas, and the eastern Bay of Bengal.
The conference will also emphasize capacity development and promoting early-career scientists to strengthen global ocean science collaboration, said a press release.
Published – December 01, 2025 06:01 pm IST
