‘VIMARSH’ DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet: Raksha Mantri Unveils Key Policy Initiatives to Empower MSMEs & Start-ups and Launches Framework to Share Software Source Codes with Licensee Industries

Key Highlights:

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveiled key policy initiatives at VIMARSH, a DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet, on September 15, 2026.
• New policies aim to lower technical and financial entry barriers for MSMEs and deep-tech start-ups in defence.
• A standardized framework was launched for sharing DRDO-developed software source codes with licensee industries.
• Nine Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToTs) were handed over to 13 manufacturing partners.
• Strategic MoUs were exchanged with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB).
• A contract was signed with the Quality Council of India for SAMAR version 2.0 to benchmark defence manufacturing maturity.

Detailed Insights:

• The initiatives offer direct funding, incubation support, and dedicated access to DRDO testing facilities for MSMEs and start-ups.
• The software source code framework is designed to accelerate software-defined defence capabilities and obsolescence management.
• The goal is to transform India into a global hub for defence manufacturing and achieve Aatmanirbharta in critical technologies by 2047.
• Reforms highlighted include Positive Indigenisation Lists, Make in India, iDEX, ADITI, and allocating 25% of the defence R&D budget to the private sector.
• Over 2,300 Technology Transfers have been made to more than 1,100 industries, including technologies for approximately 50 missiles.
• The event emphasized promoting industry-led R&D, funding for start-ups, and investment in futuristic technologies like AI, quantum computing, and hypersonics.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Aatmanirbharta: The national goal of self-reliance, particularly in critical technologies and defence manufacturing.
• Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology (LAToT): A formal agreement enabling an entity to use and commercialize technology developed by another.
• iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence): A flagship initiative to foster innovation and technology development in the Indian defence sector.
• SAMAR (System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating): A framework to benchmark the manufacturing maturity of domestic defence enterprises.