18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics inaugurated in Mumbai 

India is ensuring that technology is the priority for Viksit Bharat, Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, said at the opening ceremony of the 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) held on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) in Mumbai.

“The participants should return to their country with new ideas, inspiration, and enriched thought processes,” Prof.. Sood said, referring to the Olympiad as a “science sport”.

Over 300 high school students from 64 countries have participated in the 10-day Olympiad hosted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Astronomy is not only a study of the cosmos, Prof. Sood said in his inaugural speech, it is an ecosystem where extremely sensitive instruments involving computation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and more are used, offering many avenues to pursue in future.

This is the second time that India is hosting the IOAA, after the 2016 edition in Bhubaneswar. This year’s theme is ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’, the “ancient Indian idea of world is family under the one sky”.

The future lies in the hands of young minds, solving real time problems, and India believes in international collaboration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video message to the participants. “The next scientific breakthrough could be at the hands of these young minds, who knows?” Mr. Modi said, highlighting India’s achievements in the field of science.

Participants from Classes 10 to 12 are selected after a rigorous process to compete at the international level of the Olympiad. During the 10-day event, students have to appear in several challenging exams.

The dignitaries present at the opening ceremony included Ajit Kembhavi, former vice president of the International Astronomical Union. “There is a possibility that your entire professional journey could be shaped here as you will get inspired to do great things in life,” Mr. Kembhavi said, stressing on inspiration.

The IOAA was conceived in 2006 to meet the growing global interest in astronomy among high school students, with the first edition held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2007.

According to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, the IOAA’s curriculum is designed to challenge students in theoretical, observational, and data analyses.

“The questions should be fun and challenging. In a way, a best student should have something to think in every question. Secondly, students who are less prepared should get inspired to study better, and thirdly, the questions should make students go back and check why they couldn’t answer,“ Jayram Chengalur, Director, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research said.