Senior officials of the Department of Defence Production held talks with representatives from over 50 start-ups and MSMEs to understand the key challenges affecting these ventures. The two-day discussions, held on Monday and Tuesday at South Block in New under the chairmanship of Secretary (DP) Sanjeev Kumar, also focused on identifying opportunities and supporting the start-ups and MSMEs in accelerating innovation.
Most of the start-ups and MSMEs, which attended the sessions, are engaged with Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the defence ministry stated.
There were deliberations across a range of technologies and domains, including space technologies, quantum technologies, electronic warfare, drones, artificial intelligence & machine learning, radar technologies, cyber security, and advanced materials. The discussions helped in understanding the potential applications of these technologies in both civil and defence sectors.
Thanking the participants for their insights, Kumar stated that sessions would help the defence ministry in understanding the perspective of the industry, particularly new technology start-ups. It would help in fine-tuning the policies and procedures, leading to wider participation of start-ups working in deep tech, he added.
Start-ups and MSMEs play a major role in propelling India's defence industry growth. The country's defence industrial base includes approximately 16,000 MSMEs, strengthening indigenous production capabilities. "Reinforcing its commitment to supporting startups and MSMEs, the ministry of defence cleared procurement of 43 items worth over Rs 2,400 crore from iDEX startups and MSMEs for the armed forces as of February 2025," the ministry had earlier said.
