A total of 79 projects, costing Rs 334.02 crore, have so far been sanctioned to various industries under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme for the development of defence technologies. Additionally, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established 15 Industry Academia Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs) across the country, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth informed in a written reply to Ananta Nayak in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Technology Development Fund Scheme is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) executed by DRDO under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The Union Government has approved the scheme to encourage industries, especially MSMEs and startups, to develop various defence technologies. The scheme aligns with the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ by integrating new industries into the design and manufacturing of defence technology. Funding of up to Rs 50 crore per project is provided to the industry as a grant-in-aid, the minister stated.
DRDO has set up DIA-CoEs at institutions such as IISc Bangalore, various IITs, and Central/State Universities to promote focused research in developing new technologies for defence and security. These Centres of Excellence are equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, research facilities, and infrastructure to attract researchers and scholars. Through these centres, DRDO aims to establish effective collaborations with startups and industries to further product development.
The Government has also launched the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework to foster innovation and technology development in the Defence and Aerospace sectors. It engages industries, including MSMEs, startups, individual innovators, R&D institutes, and academia, to promote self-reliance.
In May 2021, the government introduced a scheme to scale up iDEX with a budgetary allocation of Rs 498.80 crore for five years (2021-22 to 2025-26). This scheme aims to provide financial support to nearly 300 startups, MSMEs, and individual innovators, as well as 20 partner incubators under the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) framework.
So far, 264 projects, worth approximately Rs 930 crore, have been sanctioned under the DRDO’s grants-in-aid scheme, Sanjay Seth noted.
Since 2019, DRDO has been organising the Pan India Dare to Dream Innovation Contest annually to encourage innovators, entrepreneurs, individuals above 18 years, and startups (recognised by DPIIT and founded by Indians) to contribute innovative ideas in the Defence and Aerospace sectors. Through this contest, DRDO identifies and awards the best ideas, supporting their development into prototypes under the TDF scheme.
Four editions of the Dare to Dream contest have already been successfully conducted. The fifth edition, Dare to Dream 5.0, was launched by Raksha Mantri on October 18, 2024, and is currently underway. Winners in each category receive a fixed cash prize, with Rs 543 lakh already disbursed across the four previous editions. Selected individuals or companies also benefit from DRDO’s support in realising their awarded ideas into prototypes.
