Scheme to indigenise technologies for aerospace sector
Nearly 300 startups, MSMEs, individual innovators and 20 partner incubators will benefit from the Rs.498.8 crore scheme under the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX)-Defence Innovation Organization (DIO) framework, the Ministry of Defence said in a release on June 13, 2021 on the budget approved.
The scheme aims to facilitate rapid development of new, indigenised and innovative technologies for the Indian defence and aerospace sector to meet their needs in shorter timelines; create a culture of engagement with innovative start-ups to encourage co-creation for defence and aerospace; empower a culture of technology co-creation and co-innovation within the defence and aerospace sector and boost innovation among the start-ups and encourage them to be a part of the ecosystem.
It will support increased awareness in the Indian innovation ecosystem about defence needs and, conversely, in the Indian Defence establishment about the potential of the Indian innovation eco-system to deliver innovative solutions to meet their needs, the ministry said.
The DIO, with its team, will enable the creation of channels for innovators to engage and interact with the Indian Defence production industry. The long-term effect to be realised by the group is the establishment of a culture, where enlisting the effort of innovators by the Indian military is commonplace and frequent.
The Department of Defence Production (DDP) will release funds to DIO for setting up and managing the iDEX network in the form of Partner Incubators (PIs); communicating with innovators, start-ups, technology centres of MSMEs through the PIs including the PIs of Department of Science and Technology regarding defence and aerospace needs; organising various challenges and hackathons to shortlist potential technologies and entities and evaluating technologies and products developed by innovators and start-ups in terms of their utility and impact on the defence and aerospace setup.
Other activities include enabling and funding pilots using innovation funds dedicated to the purpose; interfacing with the Armed Forces top brass about key innovative technologies and encouraging their adoption into the defence establishment with suitable assistance; facilitating scale-up, indigenisation and integration in manufacturing facilities for successfully piloted technologies and organising outreach activities all across the country
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the Rs.498.8 crore for the creation of the iDEX framework and establishment of the DIO by the DDP. #technology #startups #investment #defence #incubators /fiinews.com
