iDEX INITIATIVE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – International Relations)

Context: The US delegation, led by Under Secretary (Research & Engineering), met a team of Innovations for Defence Excellence-Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) under Ministry of Defence at IIT Delhi explaining how the initiative is revolutionising the defence innovation ecosystem in India.

iDEX Initiaitve

• About: The Government announced a central sector scheme named as Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) for 5 years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

oIt was launched under the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) under the Ministry of Defence

• Objective: To foster innovation and technology development and to provide financial support to nearly 300 Start-ups/MSMEs/individual innovators and about 20 Partner Incubators through Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO).

India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) initiative

• About: It is an event conducted in Washington DC in June 2023.
• Conducted by: iDEX, in partnership with US Department of Defence.
• Objective: To expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the start-up ecosystems, businesses and academic institutions.
• It includes: The collaboration agenda under the Defence Innovation Bridge includes launch of Joint Challenges, Innovation Partnership Program, Academia partnership, Joint Innovation Fund, establishing of Testing & Certification facilities in India etc.