Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in partnership with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and the University of Lucknow
Our Executive Director, Anita Gurumurthy, was invited to moderate the session, ‘From Breakthrough to Scale: Making Technology Deliver’ at the 18th BRICS Academic Forum held at the University of Lucknow on 24 August 2026. The event was hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in partnership with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and the University of Lucknow. The session aimed to examine crucial questions around BRICS cooperation in advancing scientific research, economic opportunities across BRICS economies, and enabling deeper cross-border collaboration.
The speakers for the session included:
- Allo Aman Didom, Senior Researcher and Director, Plant Biotechnology Directorate, Bio and Emerging Technology Institute, BETinBio and Emerging Technology Institute, Ethiopia
- Qingquan Jiang, Deputy Director, BRICS Economic Research Center, Xiamen University of Technology, China
- Ruslan Ozarnov, Associate Professor, HSE University; Expert, BRICS Expert Council-Russia, Russia
- Mahmoud Khalifa Goda, Manager of General Department, Information & Decision Support Center (IDSC), Egypt
- Nirmala Devi Gopal, Head, Department of Criminology and Forensic Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa
Watch the full session here.