News Excerpt:

The India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, INDUS-X, began in New Delhi.

About the summit:

• Objective: The summit aims to enhance strategic technology partnerships and defence cooperation between India and the USA.
• It is organised by India's Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and the U.S. Department of Defence in collaboration with the US-India Business Council and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
• Participants include representatives from governments, academia, research organizations, investors, defence startups, technology incubators, and industry associations.
• Significance:
• The summit will bring together stakeholders from both countries to explore and leverage emerging opportunities in defence innovation.
• It seeks to enhance connectivity among domestic entrepreneurs, markets, skilling institutions, government labs, and investment capital, crucial for successful innovation ecosystems.
• It is expected to pave the way for future technological advancements and strategic partnerships, the summit will foster cross-national science and technology networks.

INDUS-X initiative:

• iDEX, in partnership with the US Department of Defence, launched the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) in 2023.
• It has been launched as part of the vision to build a ‘defence innovation bridge’. 
• INDUS-X aims to –
• Pave the way towards the goals established in the US-India roadmap for defence industrial cooperation.
• Capitalise on the tech-releasability outcomes that the industry anticipates from the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
• Explore joint opportunities in high-tech defence innovation, research and development.
• Strengthen bilateral trade relationships and defence establishment linkages.
• According to the US Chamber of Commerce, INDUS-X has the potential to be a catalyst for India to achieve its target of USD 5 billion in defence exports by 2025 and diversify its defence supply chain.