New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said procurement orders worth Rs 1,000 crore have been placed for 26 products developed under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme as he hailed the role of the private sector and the dynamic eco-system of innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, start-ups in the goal of defence 'Aatmanirbharta'.
Launching the second edition of Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI 2.0) challenges and the 12th edition of Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC 12) during DefConnect 4.0 at Manekshaw Centre here, he commended DefConnect for playing a crucial role in developing the culture of innovation in the country.
The platform is bringing new energy to the defence industrial ecosystem, and making the nation’s talent a partner in strengthening the security apparatus, the Defence Minister said, terming DefConnect an important link between all the stakeholders associated with the defence ecosystem to help in realising the vision of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence.
ADITI 2.0 features 19 challenges from the armed forces and allied agencies in the domains of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Technology, military communication, anti-drone systems customised for military platforms, and adaptive camouflage, etc. This scheme offers a grant of up to Rs 25 crore to Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) winners, focusing on critical technological areas crucial for strengthening the defence ecosystem of the country.
DISC 12 presents 41 challenges across key technology domains, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), AI, Networking and Communication, with grants up to Rs 1.50 crore. Notably, it introduces the Medical Innovations and Research Advancement (MIRA) initiative, featuring nine challenges aimed at fostering the development of medical technologies to meet the medical demands of the armed forces. To provide momentum to the iDEX initiative, DISC was launched in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, aimed at supporting start-ups/MSMEs/Innovators to create prototypes and/or commercialise products/ solutions in the area of national defence and security.
Enumerating the feats achieved due to the government’s efforts to promote innovation, Rajnath Singh informed that iDEX has received over 9,000 applications so far, and is currently collaborating with more than 450 start-ups & MSMEs through DISC and Open Challenge.
Apart from the 26 products being procured, he said that Acceptance of Necessity and Request for Proposal worth over Rs 2,380 crore have been issued for 37 products. The ADITI initiative is focusing on over 30 critical and strategic technologies to strengthen the defence ecosystem, he said.
Highlighting the vibrant and dynamic ecosystem of innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists & start-ups in the country, he reiterated the government’s commitment to further enhance the role of the private sector in the defence ecosystem. Their involvement is necessary to achieve self-reliance, he said.
He noted that as soon as the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, came to power in 2014, it identified ‘lack of private sector participation in the defence sector’ as a major hurdle in attaining self-reliance, and strived to increase their contribution in nation building.
"Earlier, only in-house R&D and organisations like DRDO were working towards the development of such cutting-edge technologies. But now, we are witnessing a significant role of the private sector too. There is enhanced synergy between the public & private sectors, the biggest example of which is DefConnect,” he said.
Stressing the need to move forward from imitative to innovative and distinctive technologies, he called upon the private sector to think beyond the solutions to challenges being provided through ADITI & DISC. He urged them to bring forth the technology which is far ahead of the requirements of the Armed Forces and would be beneficial to deal with future threats, promising the government’s full assistance to achieve the goal.
On the occasion, he also felicitated the ADITI 1.0 winners. Leading iDEX winners showcased their cutting-edge solutions related to Munition Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Communication Systems & Space Technologies, as part of DefConnect 2024. The winners include QuNu Labs, Sagar Defence Technologies, Astrome Technologies, Zeus Numerix Pvt. Ltd., NewSpace Research and Technologies, Pixxel Space India etc.
Army chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, OSD, Department of Defence RK Singh, Secretary, Defence Production Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V. Kamat, other senior officials of Ministry of Defence, industry leaders, academia, young entrepreneurs & innovators attended the event.