Inaugural session of the ISRO-START Capacity Building Workshop - 2026 on July 27, 2026

During July 27 to July 31, 2026, ISRO is conducting the concluding session of the ISRO-START-2026 programme, through the newly conceived ISRO-START Capacity Building Workshop at IIRS, Dehradun, benefiting 50 students, which include 12 research fellows from IIRS, Dehradun. Among them, 38 students, from the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, have been selected from the toppers of the ISRO-START-2026 online examination, through a stringent set of criteria, representing multiple states of India.

The event was inaugurated by Shri. A S Kiran Kumar, Member, Space Commission and former Secretary, DOS / Chairman, ISRO, in the presence of Dr. R.P. Singh, Director of IIRS, Dehradun, Dr. Tirtha Pratim Das, Director, Science Programme Office, ISRO Headquarters, Dr. Harish Karnatak, Head, GIT-DL, IIRS, and the senior faculty members of IIRS.

The ISRO-START Capacity Building Workshop-2026 comprises several components like advanced lectures on space science & applications, interactions with senior scientists of ISRO / Department of Space, physical demonstration of scientific concepts (IR remote sensing, Raman Spectroscopy, etc.), hands-on exercise on satellite data analysis, as well as project work. The students, hailing from different states of the country, are made to team up, and deliver the project-deliverable. This rigorous engagement enhanced the awareness of the students about the space-based techniques, and may initiate some of them to pursue their career in the domains of space science and technology.

ISRO has been conducting the START programme since year 2023, each year presenting a unique theme in the realm of space science and technology, with around 20 to 25 specially curated lectures delivered by the pan-India experts, targeting the undergraduate and post-graduate students in science, technology and engineering. A programmatic connection has also been established between ISRO-START and ISRO's biennial scientific meet ‘National Space Science Symposium’, where selected students among the toppers of the START examination attend a specially curated students’ session for closer mentoring and idea exchange. The START-2023 lectures, on the theme of ‘Overview of Space Science and Technology’, have been included as a credit course by the AICTE. The theme of START-2026, conducted during March 11 to April 2, 2026, has been ‘Scientific Observations from Space’ which was inaugurated by Secretary, DOS / Chairman, ISRO on March 11, 2026. The START programme, so far, has cumulatively benefited about 1.6 lacs of students, faculty members, as well as space enthusiasts.