The Indian Navy's annual strategic dialogue, IPRD-2026, will take place from Nov 3 to 5, 2026, in New Delhi. The theme is 'Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific'. The conference will consist of five professional thematic sessions and feature discussions on academic networks, research, human capital development, maritime situational awareness, protection of critical maritime infrastructure, oceanographic science, climate resilience, collaborative approaches to ocean governance, maritime resilience, transformative maritime technologies, and dual-use implications.
The Indian Navy will conduct the 2026 edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD-2026), its annual apex-level international strategic dialogue, in New Delhi from November 3 to 5, 2026. This event is organised in association with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), which serves as the Navy’s knowledge partner and principal organiser of the event.
The theme for IPRD-2026 is 'Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific'. The choice of this year's theme reflects a fundamental feature of the contemporary maritime domain: the oceans are interconnected, but the scientific knowledge, technological capabilities, and institutions required to understand and manage them remain unevenly distributed. Climate change, maritime trade and supply-chain vulnerabilities, pressure upon marine resources, and threats to critical maritime infrastructure increasingly transcend national boundaries.
The IPRD is the principal manifestation of the Indian Navy’s annual international outreach at the strategic level. Successive editions of this dialogue have examined selected dimensions of the seven interconnected maritime lines of thrust of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the 14th East Asia Summit in Bangkok in Nov 2019.
The conference includes five professional thematic sessions spread over three days. These sessions aim to address ‘Academic Networks, Research, and Human Capital Development’; ‘Maritime Situational Awareness and Protection of Critical Maritime Infrastructure’; ‘Oceanographic Science and Climate Resilience’; ‘Collaborative Approaches to Ocean Governance and Maritime Resilience’; and ‘Transformative Maritime Technologies and Dual-Use Implications’. These deliberations will consider practical pathways for joint research, collaborative technology development, responsible governance, appropriate access to scientific data, and stronger institutional partnerships.
The opening day will feature a special session titled ‘Perspectives from the Flag Bridge’, bringing together former naval chiefs from India and Sri Lanka. Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, is scheduled to deliver the Commemorative Address on the first day.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
