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The 8th Meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Ocean and Polar Science and Technology (OPST) opened in Goa on 12 August 2026 and runs to 14 August 2026.
It is hosted by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, as part of India's BRICS Presidency in 2026.
NCPOR Director Dr Thamban Meloth chaired the meeting as Working Group Chair; Dr M. Rajeevan, Vice Chancellor of Atria University and former Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, delivered a keynote on India's Blue Economy initiatives.
Delegations from Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and India are taking part.
The agenda is the shift from bilateral arrangements to integrated multilateral research programmes, covering joint research, capacity building, scientific exchanges and shared use of polar research infrastructure.
Nodal agency for India's Antarctic, Arctic and Southern Ocean expeditions; maintains the polar stations and a low-temperature ice-core laboratory; established in May 1998 as NCAOR
Lead agency for the technology components of the Deep Ocean Mission; developing the Matsya6000 manned submersible under Samudrayaan and deep-sea mining systems, tested at 5,270 m in the Central Indian Ocean Basin; established November 1993
Provides ocean data, information and advisory services, including ocean-state forecasts and tsunami warnings; established February 1999
Umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences integrating climate, oceanography, polar science and seismology research
Key: PACER and O-SMART are among its principal components
Scientific work across the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean and the Himalaya
Key: Implemented by NCPOR; covers the Antarctic programme, the Indian Arctic programme, the Southern Ocean programme and cryosphere-climate studies
Develop indigenous technology for deep-sea exploration and use of ocean resources
Key: Approved in 2021 at an outlay of Rs 4,077 crore for the period 2021-2028, with six thematic pillars including Samudrayaan and the Matsya6000 submersible
GS Paper 2 > International Relations - important international institutions and groupings; GS Paper 3 > Science and Technology
General Awareness > International Organisations and Current Affairs
General Awareness > International Groupings
General Awareness > Current Events of National and International Importance
The BRICS Working Group on Ocean and Polar Science and Technology, set up in 2018 for marine and polar scientific cooperation among member states.
Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, livelihoods and ocean-ecosystem health.
The frozen parts of the Earth system - snow, glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice and permafrost - studied for signals of climate change.