Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood attended the Sagar Manthan - Commanders' Conference at Navy House, New Delhi on 15 April 2026. Prof. Sood was joined by Cmde Kapil Bhatia, Directorate of Strategy, Concepts and Transformation and other luminaries of the Navy for a freewheeling exchange of views to discuss contemporary issues and developments on 'From Intent to Capability: Reforming Defence R&D and Capability Development, through greater Industry Participation'. Prof. Sood presented his views on the theme of widening Defence R&D and the ways private industry can be a partner in capability development; transitioning from siloed government laboratories to an inclusive ecosystem that harnesses India's vibrant startup ecosystem, MSMEs, and academic innovation hubs. He emphasised on reforming institutional risk benefits, eliminating post-development ambiguity of prototypes, and having a unified technological roadmap to simplify existing processes and strengthen private sector participation. International bilateral frameworks can be expanded, and dedicated dual-use incubation centers created, to scale R&D viability and absorb existing capabilities and developments from high-technology civilian centers into Defence.