Convener News Desk
New Delhi, December 1: The Government has intensified efforts to strengthen research and development (R&D) in the defence manufacturing sector as part of its push for Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.
In a written reply, Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth said multiple initiatives are underway to enhance indigenous design, development, and production of defence equipment through strong collaboration between DRDO, industry, start-ups, MSMEs, and academia.
Among the key measures is the Development-cum-Production Partner (DcPP) model, under which potential manufacturing partners from both public and private sectors are selected through a competitive process and provided manufacturing technologies to meet production requirements. DRDO technologies are also being transferred to Indian industries at zero ToT fee under the Transfer of Technology (ToT) scheme, while consultancy services of DRDO scientists are made available to industry.
To support innovation, the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme encourages participation of MSMEs and start-ups in advanced defence technologies. Under the scheme, 26 technologies have already been successfully developed, with two systems flown as part of PSLV missions. The Government has further enhanced support by sanctioning an additional ₹500 crore corpus for deep-tech and cutting-edge projects.
The Raksha Rajya Mantri said 25 per cent of the Defence R&D budget has been opened to industry, start-ups and academia, aimed at expanding collaborative research. The government has also established 15 DRDO-Industry-Academia Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs) steering research in 82 key verticals, alongside an Extramural Research programme to build capabilities within academic institutions.
Innovation has also been promoted through the iDEX initiative, launched in 2018 to support start-ups, MSMEs and innovators with funding for defence and aerospace technologies, and the Dare to Dream contests, which have successfully nurtured new ideas and innovators.
DRDO has further opened world-class testing facilities to industry, with 24 laboratories listed on the Defence Testing Portal, enabling transparent and wider industrial access. Industry Interaction Groups (IIGs) have been set up in DRDO labs to enhance industry interface, while the defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are being supported by DRDO as a knowledge partner.
Under the ‘Make’ procedure of DAP-2020, involving indigenous design, development and manufacturing of defence systems, 70 projects across categories Make-I/II/III have received Approval-in-Principal during the last three years, and 148 new R&D projects have been sanctioned by DRDO.
Providing funding details, the minister stated that the defence R&D budget has steadily increased, rising to ₹26,816.82 crore at Budget Estimates for 2025-26, underscoring the Government’s sustained commitment to strengthening self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
The Government, he added, continues to promote robust public–private partnerships through schemes such as TDF, iDEX, Dare to Dream, DcPP and ToT to accelerate indigenous defence innovation and production. (PIB)
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