Close defence-academia-industry collaboration key to accelerating development & adoption of indigenous tech amid evolving nature of warfare: Raksha Mantri

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh called for close collaboration among the Defence Forces, DRDO, academic institutions, public sector undertakings, and private industry to accelerate indigenous technology development amidst evolving warfare. Speaking at the launch of IIT Kanpur’s ‘Greater Than Us’ campaign in New Delhi, he emphasized that national security is increasingly linked to technological capabilities such as artificial intelligence, unmanned platforms, and cybersecurity. He noted government initiatives including the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision, the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Scheme, and IIT Kanpur's institutional projects like the DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence, a proposed School of Defence Technologies, and a National Military Drone Technology Hub. The ‘Greater Than Us’ campaign aims to raise US$1 billion by March 2029 to expand research infrastructure and commercialize indigenous innovations.