Senior officials from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) held discussions with representatives from over 50 start-ups and MSMEs on March 24 and 25, 2025, at South Block in New Delhi.

Led by Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, the two-day event aimed to address challenges faced by these ventures, explore collaboration opportunities, and accelerate innovation in India's defence sector. The majority of participants were engaged with the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative, which promotes cutting-edge defence technologies developed by private entities.

The deliberations focused on critical areas such as space technologies, quantum technologies, electronic warfare, drones, artificial intelligence and machine learning, radar technologies, cybersecurity, and advanced materials. These technologies are seen as pivotal for modernizing India's defence capabilities and have potential applications in civilian sectors as well.

Acknowledging the insights provided by participants, Kumar underscored that these sessions would help the ministry refine policies and procedures to encourage broader participation from start-ups working in deep tech.

He noted that start-ups and MSMEs are vital to India's defence industry growth, which includes approximately 16,000 MSMEs contributing to indigenous production capabilities. As of February 2025, the ministry had cleared procurement of items worth over ₹2,400 crore from iDEX-affiliated start-ups and MSMEs for the armed forces.

Despite progress under iDEX, challenges persist for start-ups in accessing funding, navigating regulatory complexities, and competing with established players.

The government has implemented measures such as grants and easier access to infrastructure to support these ventures. However, further efforts are needed to streamline processes and enhance collaboration between defence stakeholders and innovators.

Swarajya Report