ICANN announces participants for the NextGen@ICANN85 programme

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has confirmed the list of participants selected for the NextGen@ICANN programme at the ICANN85 Community Forum. The participants were chosen by an independent selection committee based on their academic background and demonstrated interest in internet governance and related policy fields.

The ICANN85 Community Forum will be held in Mumbai, India, from 7 to 12 March 2026. The meeting will follow a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and remote participation. The selected cohort includes 12 university students from across the Asia-Pacific region, studying disciplines such as engineering, political science, and technology.

The NextGen@ICANN programme is designed to introduce university students aged 18 to 30 to ICANN’s role in the technical coordination of the internet and its multistakeholder governance model. Participants take part in preparatory sessions ahead of the meeting and engage directly with the ICANN community during the forum.

The announced participants for NextGen@ICANN85 are: Aung Si Kyaw (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University), Bernhart Farras Sukandar (Tsinghua University), Ehsan Amini Baghbaderani (Imam Sadiq University), Huy Nguyen (Duy Tan University), Ilham Sutoyo (The University of Sydney), Purnika Khanal (Tribhuvan University), Rohan Sachdeva (La Trobe University), Rupam Barui (National Forensic Sciences University), Srijan Rai (National University of Singapore), Sudip Dhungana (Tribhuvan University), Surya V S (University of Delhi), and Taruna Kaur Bamrah (DAV College).

Through the programme, ICANN aims to strengthen youth engagement and broaden regional participation in global internet governance processes.