IDEX and Defence India Start-Up Challenge | 23 Apr 2022

For Prelims: Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) Prime, Defence India Start-up Challenge, DefConnect 2.0, Defence Innovation Organisation

For Mains: Atal Innovation Mission, Startups/MSMEs, Government Initiatives Regarding Indigenization

Why in the News?

Recently, the Ministry of Defence has launched Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) Prime and the sixth Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC 6) during DefConnect 2.0 in New Delhi.

  • DefConnect 2.0 is a one-day event to bring together start-ups, big companies and armed forces personnel to boost indigenous innovation in the defence sector.

What is Innovation for Defence Ecosystem (iDEX)?

  • iDEX, launched in 2018, is an ecosystem to foster innovation & technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging innovators & entrepreneurs to deliver technologically advanced solutions for modernizing the Indian Military.
  • Core Objectives:
    • Indigenization: Rapid development of new, indigenized and innovative technology.
    • Innovation: Creates a culture of engagement with innovative startups to encourage co-creation.
  • It provides funding/grants to MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia to carry out research and development.
  • The iDEX-Prime aims to support projects requiring support beyond Rs 1.5 crore up to Rs 10 crore, to help ever-growing start-ups in the defence sector.
  • iDEX is funded and managed by “Defence Innovation Organisation”.
  • iDEX portal was launched to provide wider publicity and better visibility of iDEX activities and enable more efficient running of future challenges through better information management.

Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)

  • DIO is a not for profit organisation formed under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.
  • It is funded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
  • It provides high-level policy guidance to iDEX.

What is Defence India Start-up Challenge?

  • DISC aims at supporting Startups/MSMEs (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) / Innovators to create prototypes and/or commercialize products/solutions in National Defence and Security.
  • The First Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) was launched on 4th Aug 2018 at Bengaluru.
  • It was launched by the Ministry of Defence in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission.
    • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is Government of India’s flagship initiative to create and promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our country.
  • Under the program, the start-ups, Indian companies and individual innovators (including research & academic institutions) can participate.
  • DISC 6 witnessed the participation of newly-formed seven defence companies, the Indian Coast Guard and organisations under the Ministry of Home Affairs for the first time.

Source: PIB