New Delhi, December 7 (IANS). So far, 79 projects have been approved under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme for development of defense technologies, worth Rs 334.02 crore.
Additionally, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has established 15 Centers of Industry Academic Excellence (DIA-CoE) across the country. Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth gave this information in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
Technology Development Fund Scheme is a flagship program of the Ministry of Defense under the Make in India initiative by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The Central Government has approved the scheme to encourage industries, especially MSMEs and startups, to develop various defense technologies.
The Union Minister said that industries will be given funds up to Rs 50 crore per project as grant-in-aid. DRDO has set up DIA-CoE in institutions like IISc Bangalore, various IITs and Central/State Universities to promote research in development of new technologies for defense and security. These centers of excellence are equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, research facilities and infrastructure to attract researchers and scholars.
Through these centres, DRDO aims to establish effective collaboration with startups and industries to pursue product development. The Government has launched the Innovation for Defense Excellence Framework to promote innovation and technology development in the defense and aerospace sectors.
It involves industries including MSMEs, startups, individual innovators, R&D institutions and academia to promote self-reliance. In May 2021, the government launched a scheme to enhance Innovation for Defense Excellence with a budgetary allocation of Rs 498.80 crore for five years (2021-22 to 2025-26).
The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to approximately 300 startups, MSMEs and individual innovators as well as 20 partner incubators under the Defense Innovation Organization (DIO) framework. The Union Minister said that till now 264 projects worth about Rs 930 crore have been approved under the Grant-in-Aid Scheme of DRDO.
–IANS
SKT/GKT