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News Updates

News Updates

BharatInnovates2026

 14 June 2026

iDEX and its Startups/MSMEs participated at BharatInnovates2026. Three iDEX winners marked major milestones through strategic partnerships and investment commitments. EyeROV secured a $5 million commitment from Unicorn India Ventures Fund III; CYRAN AI signed an MoU with Safran for AI-led Industry 4.0 transformation; and Crimson Energy Experts partnered with IIT Hyderabad and Dassault Systèmes to establish CODENE. These collaborations strengthen India’s deep-tech ecosystem, accelerate technology development and advance Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

DISC 14 & ADITI 4 Launch

 19 March 2026

At the National Defence Industries Conclave 2026, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched DISC-14 and ADITI Challenges 4.0 under iDEX, unveiling 107 problem statements—82 under DISC-14 and 25 under ADITI 4.0—from the Defence Forces, Indian Coast Guard and Defence Space Agency. A new initiative featuring 101 innovation challenges from DPSUs was also launched by Raksha Mantri to encourage design-led innovation by MSMEs and start-ups.

National Defence Industries Conclave 2026

 19 March 2026

National Defence Industries Conclave 2026, held at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, under the theme “Advanced Manufacturing Technologies.” The conclave presented key perspectives on the growth of India’s defence manufacturing capabilities and highlighted the crucial role of MSMEs in driving self-reliance.

Roundtable with Banks, Financial Institutions, Investors, Startups and MSMEs

 16 April 2025

Secretary (DP) Shri Sanjeev Kumar chaired a Roundtable with banks, financial institutions, investors, startups and MSMEs on April 16, 2025, at South Block, New Delhi. The discussions focused on financing risks, challenges, and aligning funding mechanisms with the needs of iDEX startups and defence innovation.

Manthan, Aero India 2025

 12 February 2025

Manthan, iDEX’s flagship defence innovation event at Aero India 2025, chaired by Secretary (DP) Shri Sanjeev Kumar, showcased India’s vibrant defence innovation ecosystem with iDEX winners, senior leaders and industry, fostering dialogue on future defence technologies and startup empowerment.

13th Edition of Defence Indian Startup Challenges launched

 29 October 2024

During NIIO seminar ‘Swavlamban’ October 29, 2024, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh also launched the 13th edition of the Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC 13). This edition features seven challenges from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, military communication, and autonomous bots, aimed at driving innovation in key defence technology areas.

Additional Secretary DP and CEO DIO Shri Sanjay Jaju at SINE IITB

 26 April 2022

Additional Secretary (DP) and CEO/DIO, Shri Sanjay Jaju speaking at SINE - IITB on 25th April 2022, encouraged Defence/Aerospace Startups to apply for DISC6 and iDEXPrime to get first-hand exposure in solving military problems

MoU with EdCIL (India) Ltd. under the ASPIRE Program

 09 September 2025

iDEX-DIO signed an MoU with EdCIL (India) Ltd. under the ASPIRE program to foster dual-use technologies. The MoU was signed by Joint Secretary (DIP) & Additional CEO, DIO Shri Amit Satija and Joint Secretary (TEL), Ministry of Education & CMD, EdCIL Shri Govind Jaiswal in New Delhi on September 09, 2025.

knowledge session with CIIE CO IIM Ahemdabad

 01 May 2022

iDEX organised a knowledge session with CIIE.CO IIM Ahemdabad. AS, DP & CEO, DIO shared insights into the newly launched DISC-6 challenges & iDEX Prime.

Maximum limit of active contracts in iDEX

 16 August 2022

iDEX-DIO is happy to inform that the number of active contracts with iDEX winners at any time have been increased up to five contracts.

iDEX signed 150th contract

 22 December 2022

Aatmanirbhar Bharat:-iDEX-DIO signs 150th contract for defence innovation on Expendable Mobile Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Target capable of simulating sound & movement of a submarine

iDEX signs its 50th SPRINT contract

 04 January 2023

iDEX signs its 50th SPRINT contract with Sagar Defence in the presence of RAdm Arjun Dev Nair, ACNS (SR), RAdm K Srinivas, ACOM (Mod) & Cmde A P Golaya, Oi/C TDAC on 4th January, 2022.

Review meeting of Navy SPRINT Cases

 05 January 2023

Vice chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral S N Ghormade took the review meeting with iDEX and NIIO for SPRINT cases on 5th Jan 2023

Startup visit at INS Hansa

 09 February 2023

"IDEX winner Skylark Labs India Pvt. Ltd., visited Indian Naval Air Stations in Goa and Visakhapatnam and collected data pertaining to challenge awarded. The visit will help in progress of their ongoing DISC 7 (SPRINT) Challenge “Al-based Foreign Object Detection  (FOD) System” for the Indian Navy. This cutting-edge technology will enhance the safety and efficiency of the Naval air strips".

4th edition of Innovate 4 Defence i4D

 15 February 2023

4th edition of Innovate4Defence (i4D) - a 45-day internship program was launched by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri during Manthan at Aero-India 2023 for students of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in India.

9th edition of Defence India Startup Challenge DISC 9

 15 February 2023

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri launched the 9th edition of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC-9) with 28 problem statements on the theme of “Cyber Security” from Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Airforce, Defence PSUs, and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

iDEX Investor Hub iIH launched

 15 February 2023

iDEX Investor Hub (iIH) was launched by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri during Manthan at Aero-India 2023, to accelerate investments in the Defence sector with a pledged investment of over Rs 200Cr from 9 leading investors to augment the growth of the startup ecosystem.

12th edition of Defence India startup Challenge

 07 October 2024

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri launched the 12th edition of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC-12) with 41 problem statements across key technology domains, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), AI, Networking and Communication, with grants up to Rs 1.50 crore. It also 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.

Launch of Aditi 2.0 Challenges

 07 October 2024

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri launched the 2nd edition of ADITI with 19 problem statements featuring challenges from the Armed Forces and allied agencies in the domains of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Technology, military communication, anti-drone systems customised for military platforms and adaptive camouflage, etc. This scheme offers a grant of up to Rs 25 crore to focus on critical technological areas crucial for strengthening the defence ecosystem of the country.

Def Connect 4.0

 07 October 2024

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on October 07, 2024, inaugurated DefConnect 4.0 at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt, a significant step towards advancing indigenous innovation and celebrating the growing defence ecosystem of the country. The event is being organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO), under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence..

Raksha Navachar Samvaad

 07 October 2025

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh addressed iDEX startups at 'Raksha Navachar Samvaad: Interaction with iDEX Startups' along with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary DDR&D & Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat & JS(DIP), DDP Shri Amit Satija.

Launch of ADITI 3.0 Challenges

 29 October 2024

On October 29, 2024, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveiled the third edition of the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI 3.0) challenge during the NIIO seminar 'Swavlamban' at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The ADITI 3.0 challenge invites startups to design a High-Power Microwave Weapon System for the Indian Navy, advancing indigenous defence technologies and enhancing operational capabilities.

3rd Edition of the INDUS-X

09 September 2024

3rd Edition of the INDUS-X Summit convenes at Stanford University, California, USA on 09-10 Sep 2024. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between iDEX and the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU). Other highlights included announcement of a new challenge , announcement of pilot case for testing consortium, release of the INDUS-X Impact Report and launch of the official INDUS-X webpage..

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