• Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) is a Section 8 not-for-profit company established under the aegis of the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.

• DIO engages industries, including MSMEs, Startups, Individual Innovators, R&D institutions, and academia, and provides grants/funding and other support to undertake R&D projects with strong potential for future adoption in Indian defence and aerospace.

• To facilitate co-creation of novel, indigenized, and innovative technologies, and create pathways for incorporation of cutting-edge technologies to be used by Armed Forces, DPSUs and other Nodal Agencies.
• To transform defence innovation in India with the ultimate goal of delivering military-grade products that solve the critical defence needs.
• To create a culture of innovation in Indian defence & aerospace by engaging innovators through encouraging co-creation & co-innovation.

Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) is the operational framework of the DIO. The iDEX framework was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2018 to promote innovation in Indian defence and to create pathways for adoption of new technologies by the Armed Forces, DPSUs and other Nodal Agencies, while also nurturing future defence enterprises in the country.

• Startups, as defined and recognized by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
• Any Indian company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956/2013, primarily a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as defined in the MSME Act, 2006.
• Individual Innovators are also encouraged to apply (research & academic institutions can also use this category).

• Applicant may apply against challenges under DISC/ADITI/Open Challenge through the iDEX website.
• Register on iDEX website and login using the credentials.
• Complete the application form and upload the required documents.

Applicant can apply for following challenge categories at DIO:

• 1    DISC/ADITI: Problem statements are curated with support of Nodal Agencies through a structured process and are open for application for a specific time window only. Grant support of up to ₹1.5 crore is provided to DISC winners and up to ₹25 crore to ADITI winners.

• 2.      Open Challenge (OC): Innovators may identify critical challenges and propose solutions suo-moto addressing needs of Services, DPSUs, or other Nodal Agencies. The application window of Open Challenge remains open throughout the year. Grant support of up to ₹1.5 crore is provided to OC winners.

SPARK (Support for Prototype & Research Kickstart in Defence) is the funding mechanism for Startups/MSMEs/Individual Innovators selected under DISC/ADITI/Open challenge. 

At the time of application, Individual Innovator need not to have a registered entity. However, upon being declared a challenge winner under DISC/ADITI/Open challenge, the innovator must establish a legal entity (public limited company, private limited company, partnership firm, LLP, one-person company, or sole proprietorship registered under applicable Indian laws as startup/MSME) prior to execution of the iDEX Grant Agreement with DIO.

The milestone wise payment structure is governed by the iDEX Contract (Spark Grant Agreement) signed with the iDEX winner. As per the latest revision of Spark Grant Agreement, the grant release structure is as follows:

Milestone 0 :10% of sanctioned iDEX grant

Milestone 1: 20% of sanctioned iDEX grant

Milestone 2: 20% of sanctioned iDEX grant

Milestone 3: 20% of sanctioned iDEX grant

Milestone 4 :20% of sanctioned iDEX grant

Milestone 5 :10% of sanctioned iDEX grant

A Startup/ MSME can apply against multiple problem statements. However, under ADITI scheme, an applicant can be awarded only one ADITI challenge at a time. A fresh ADITI challenge will be considered only after closure of the previous ADITI challenge.

In addition to above, the present limit is for 5 (five) active iDEX Contract (DISC/OC) with an iDEX winner including 1 (one) under ADITI.

Applicant can log in to the iDEX website using their credentials. The status of all submitted applications will be available on the login dashboard.

Yes. As per provisions of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, a product developed for one Nodal Agency (Service) may also be procured by other Nodal Agency (Service) within the prescribed procurement limits as defined in DAP. For updated procurement guidelines, reference may be made to the latest DAP amendments.

No. Minimum Pilot Order Quantity (MPQ) procurement is solely provided by the concerned Nodal Agency (Service) as part of the Problem Definition Statement (PDS)/Product requirement Unit (PRU). 

No. Certification of “fit for military use” status is issued exclusively by the concerned Nodal Agency (Service).