Enumerating achievements borne out of the government’s efforts to promote innovation, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said procurement orders worth more than ₹1,000 crore have been placed for 26 products developed under iDEX (Innovation for Defense Excellence) which is currently collaborating with more than 450 start-ups & MSMEs.
Additionally, Acceptance of Necessity (approval) and Request for Proposal worth over ₹2,380 crore have been issued for 37 more products, he said while launching the second edition of Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI 2.0) challenges and the 12th edition of Defense India Start-up Challenges (DISC 12) during DefConnect 4.0 here.
The Ministry of Defense said that 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 customized for military platforms and adaptive camouflage, etc.
This scheme offers a grant of up to ₹25 crore to iDEX winners, focusing on critical technological areas crucial for strengthening the defense 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 ₹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.
In his address, Singh commended DefConnect for playing a crucial role in developing the culture of innovation in the country. He stated that the platform is bringing a new energy to the defense industrial ecosystem, and making the nation’s talent a partner in strengthening the security apparatus.
Hinting at the use of pagers by Israelis to attack Hezbollah, the Defense Minister said apart from conventional arms and ammunition, many dual use or purely civilian tech is being weaponised. He called for an in-depth understanding of these technologies, exhorting the innovators to make imaginative use of the advancements for the defense of the nation.
He called upon the private sector to think beyond the solutions to challenges being provided through ADITI & DISC and urged them to bring forth the tech which is far ahead of the requirements of the Armed Forces and would be beneficial to deal with future threats.
On the occasion, Singh also felicitated the ADITI 1.0 winners, including QuNu Labs, Sagar Defense Technologies, Astrome Technologies, Zeus Numerix Pvt. Ltd., NewSpace Research and Technologies, and Pixxel Space India.