Senior officials of the Department of Defence Production, under the chairmanship of Secretary (DP) Sanjeev Kumar, have held deliberations with bigwigs from over 50 start-ups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) on understanding the key challenges affecting these ventures, identifying opportunities and supporting them in accelerating innovation. The brainstorming sessions were held at South Block in New Delhi on March 24 and 25, 2025, the MoD statement said.
According to the MoD, most of the start-ups and MSMEs which attended the sessions are engaged with Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX). Insightful deliberations across critical and emerging technology domains such as Space Technologies, Quantum Technologies, Electronic Warfare, Drones, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Radar Technologies, cybersecurity, and Advanced Materials helped in understanding their potential applications in both civil and defence sectors.
Further, as per MoD, thanking the participants for their valuable insights, the Secretary (Defence Production) stated that the sessions would help the Ministry in understanding the perspective of the industry, particularly new technology start-ups. It would help in fine-tuning the policies & procedures, leading to wider participation of start-ups working in deep tech.
Meanwhile, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 21 March 2025 in New Delhi. This agreement marks a significant step towards strengthening collaboration in defence research and development, aimed at enhancing technological innovation for the Indian Armed Forces, said a prior release from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
he release added that the MoU was signed by Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, HQ IDS, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan and Additional Secretary, DST Shri Sunil Kumar in the presence of Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lieutenant General JP Mathew and Secretary DST, Shri Abhay Karandikar.The partnership seeks to leverage DST’s extensive R&D capabilities to address the evolving needs of the Armed Forces by aligning defence technology research with national science initiatives, thereby enhancing the defence sector’s self-reliance in critical technology domains, there statement said.Additionally, as per the statement, under this MoU, DST will facilitate access to its research infrastructure, expertise and academic institutions to meet the defence sector’s requirements. The collaboration will focus on developing advanced military technologies and fostering innovation, contributing to the overall goal of building self-reliance in critical defence capabilities.
This partnership underscores the joint commitment to promoting cutting-edge research, aligning with the national vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat, ‘ and emphasises a whole-of-nation approach towards enhancing the country’s defence preparedness, the statement added.