December 17, 2025

ISRO Academia Day is organized on 16th December, 2025 at ISRO HQ, to provide opportunities for academicians to gain insights into the current and emerging research areas of the Indian Space Programme. Secretary, DOS / Chairman, ISRO inaugurated the event and released the Respond Basket - 2025 in the presence of Scientific Secretary, ISRO, ISRO Centre/Unit Directors, Senior officials from across ISRO centres and Academicians.

Secretary, DOS / Chairman, ISRO in his inaugural address emphasized the vital role of academia in contributing innovative ideas, advanced research, and skilled human resources to India's expanding space programme, and highlighted the impact of the RESPOND programme in addressing complex technological challenges through collaborative research. He informed that as ISRO sets its sights on ambitious goals for the coming decades, including establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, the Chandrayaan-4 Moon Sample Return Mission, Gaganyaan continuation missions, a Venus orbiter, and ultimately, a human landing on the Moon, the role of academia will be more vital than ever. With the announcement of the Space Sector Reforms academia can play a pivotal role in preparing and upskilling human resources through programmes like RESPOND, enabling them to become future-ready for the growing space industry.

Respond basket 2025 consists of 125 selected research proposals from across ISRO centres. The research problem statements in Research Basket 2025 reflect ISRO's current and emerging needs in space science, technology, and applications. These topics have been selected from the most relevant and high-impact areas linked to future projects, where innovative thinking can drive the next wave of breakthroughs. About academicians 125 from 50 institutions were represented in the event.