India hosts inaugural Raisina Science Diplomacy Initiative on 5 March 2026

Key facts

• The first edition of the Raisina Science Diplomacy Initiative (SDI) was held on 5 March 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
• The initiative was jointly launched by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
• Around 80 scientists, policymakers, diplomats, innovators and scholars from across the world participated in the closed-door event.
• Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood chaired the initiative; co-chairs were Sir Peter Gluckman (International Science Council), Prof. Marilyne Andersen (GESDA) and Dr. Vijay Chauthaiwale (BJP Foreign Affairs Department).
• The first roundtable 'Science Diplomacy in the Era of Strategic Autonomy' was chaired by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary in the PSA Office.
• The second roundtable 'Science Diplomacy and Governance of Disruptive Technologies' was chaired by Prof. Marilyne Andersen.
• ORF President Dr. Samir Saran stated that Raisina SDI aims to become a global platform for developing contemporary frameworks for science diplomacy.
• The initiative is planned as an annual platform to explore science and technology roles in international policy and governance.