The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), as part of its Nuclear Security Programme supported by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), organizes annual workshop for young scholars that provides basic introduction to nuclear disarmament, regional security issues and provides opportunities for research on nuclear issues. The primary objective of these workshops is to help build capacity among young scholars, refining their ability to analyze, criticize and think with an open mind.

The workshops are held each year, over a period of three days, with a maximum of 30 participants selected from leading colleges and universities from all over India, the UK and the US. The first workshop took place in August 2008 in New Delhi, followed by two regional workshops in Chennai in September 2008. They include highly interactive sessions; experts/scholars are carefully chosen to provide brief introductions to the topics, followed by a substantial discussion between the participants and the experts. In addition, relevant documentary films are shown to provide a holistic approach to some current issues.

This year the workshop was held from 20-22 August 2009 in New Delhi, and it included a new dimension, a working group session, which allowed for greater interaction among participants themselves as well with the faculty. Participants were divided into three groups and were assigned topics beforehand for which they had to coordinate among themselves and make a case presentation on the final day of the workshop. Eminent nuclear scholars from New Delhi’s strategic community acted as resource persons critiquing the presentations and providing feedback and suggestions to the participants on their presentations.