India’s defence research ecosystem has scaled up industry integration, with more than 2,200 technologies developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) transferred to industry partners so far, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, 4 May.
The transfers come amid a broader policy push to open up defence R&D to private players, start-ups, and academia, with the government positioning industry as a key partner in converting laboratory innovations into deployable systems and commercial applications.
Speaking at the North Tech Symposium in Prayagraj, Singh said the technology transfers have been enabled by structural reforms in DRDO’s transfer-of-technology framework, including the removal of the earlier 20% fee for development-cum-production partners, development partners, and production agencies.
The minister noted that 25 per cent of the defence R&D budget has been earmarked for industry, start-ups, and academia, with over ₹4,500 crore already utilised under this allocation.
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The push is aimed at accelerating indigenisation and strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities, while also improving the speed at which defence technologies move from prototype stage to field deployment.
In parallel, DRDO has opened access to its patents for Indian companies and allowed industry use of its testing facilities on a payment basis, a move expected to reduce entry barriers for smaller firms and support product development cycles.
Singh added that hundreds of companies are already using these facilities annually for research and testing support, reflecting a growing industry uptake of defence R&D infrastructure.
The technology transfer drive is part of a wider defence industrial strategy that has seen domestic defence production reach ₹1.54 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, while exports rose to ₹38,424 crore, both all-time highs.
The government is also pushing industry participation in emerging domains such as directed energy weapons, hypersonic systems, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, underwater capabilities, and space-based systems, signalling a shift towards next-generation warfare technologies.
The North Tech Symposium, attended by defence forces, industry players, start-ups, and academia, aims to align operational requirements with technological solutions and accelerate deployment-ready innovations.
As part of the event, 284 companies showcased indigenous technologies and solutions, highlighting the expanding role of private sector participation in India’s defence ecosystem.
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