The Sub-Commission for the Indian Ocean (IOCINDIO), which functions under UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), has elected Dr. T. M. Balakrishnan Nair as its Chair. Dr. Nair heads the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) as its Director. IOCINDIO came into formal existence in May 2025, with the goal of building closer regional collaboration in Indian Ocean research and in marine science.