Empowering Coastal Communities
The Maritime Research Center (MRC) has initiated a series of field visits to coastal regions across India to bridge the gap between marine science, community engagement, and policy action. These visits are part of a long-term effort to ground our research and technology solutions—like the Area Production Yield (APY) tool—within real-world contexts. Each field interaction is designed to build trust, identify local priorities, and ensure that solutions are community-led and context-specific.
By embedding our work in field realities, we aim to strengthen both scientific and societal responses to the challenges of marine sustainability.
Aligning with the ‘100 Coastal Warriors’ Initiative
MRC’s engagement aligns with the national-level ‘100 Coastal Warriors’ initiative, which aims to empower 100 grassroots leaders from India’s coastal belts. These warriors—especially women and youth—are envisioned as local champions of marine sustainability, climate resilience, and blue economy innovation. Our tools and methodologies, like the APY system, are positioned to support these warriors with actionable data, training, and cross-sector partnerships.
By integrating local knowledge with scalable marine technologies, this initiative transforms community members from passive beneficiaries to empowered agents of change.
Digitally Enabling India's Coastal Fisheries
The Digital Transformation Report, published by the Maritime Research Center (MRC), presents the development and field validation of the APY Tool (Area, Production, and Yield)—an Android-based application designed to predict shrimp and seaweed yields based on real-time environmental inputs like temperature, salinity, and pH. Conducted at seaweed farming sites in Veraval (Gujarat) and Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), the tool demonstrated up to 95% predictive accuracy, offering small-scale coastal farmers a reliable, user-friendly platform to improve aquaculture outcomes.
This initiative supports India’s national missions like Digital India, PMMSY, and the Blue Economy Policy, showcasing how technological innovation, when combined with grassroots-level training and capacity-building, can drive sustainable marine development.
The report further underscores the value of blending traditional ecological knowledge with modern data-driven tools to ensure inclusivity and local relevance. By involving communities directly in tool testing and feedback, MRC not only improved the tool’s functionality but also built a foundation of trust and digital literacy. This approach sets a replicable model for enhancing resilience, productivity, and socio-economic equity in India’s fisheries sector.
As the first step, this phase enables sensitization of the audiences towards the opportunities within the Underwater Domain. This is executed with strategic outreach program comprising of webinars, seminars, workshops, interactions and more driven by specific agenda relevant to the audiences and allied stakeholders.
At this stage we ensure adequate handholding to facilitate skill building and creation of adequate knowledge to drive momentum. With help of alliance partners and our deep knowledge experts, we ensure transfer of skills and attitudes required for future success.
At this step, the focus is on creating long term sustainable frameworks with effective policy & technology interventions at multiple levels. The implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Best Practices (BPs) play a strong role in ensuring that stakeholders are able to sustain the momentum required to deliver sustainable impact in areas related to the Underwater Domain.
Skilling Handbook
The handbook explores the economic importance of underwater systems, emphasizing the potential of deep-sea resources and the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. It advocates for Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) for security and economic prosperity, with a focus on the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Maritime Research Center’s UDA Framework offers collaborative solutions, emphasizing workforce development for global underwater challenges.
Skilling Workshop for MILIT Officers
he Maritime Research Center (MRC) conducted a specialized training program for Military Institute of Technology (MILIT) officers on January 9-10, 2025, focusing on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework. The training equipped officers with advanced skills in maritime security, underwater acoustics, and AI-driven technologies through expert-led sessions, hands-on tool demonstrations, and research presentations, enhancing their capabilities to address modern defence challenges in India’s maritime domain.