India, US deepen defense innovation ties with a new MoU at INDUS-X Summit- The Week

Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) under the US Department of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase cooperation in defense innovation and deepen collaboration to facilitate industry, research, and investment partnerships among the stakeholders in both countries.

The MoU was signed at the third edition of the recently held INDUS-X Summit—jointly organized by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and Stanford University—that seeks to advance a joint defense innovation ecosystem in India and the USA.

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“The memorandum of understanding demonstrates a shared commitment to expanding cooperation on defense innovation between DIU and DIO to expand their respective militaries’ access to cutting-edge technologies through non-traditional processes,” a statement from the US Department of Defense read.

The summit offers a platform for both India and the US to jointly showcase next-generation technologies by startups/MSMEs and enables critical dialogue through the senior advisory group and senior leaders forum—the two advisory forums under INDUS-X.

During the summit, discussions were held on technology trends, capacity building of startups, funding opportunities for defense innovations and strengthening defense supply chains.

Experts from defense industry, investment firms, startups, academia, think tanks, accelerators, policy makers were among those who participated in the summit.

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Joint Secretary (Defense Industries Promotion) Amit Satija, who led the Indian delegation, said the summit reaffirmed the commitment of both countries in advancing defense technology through innovation and strategic collaboration.

Other key highlights of the summit included the announcement of a new challenge under INDUS-X, the release of the INDUS-X Impact Report, and the launch of the official INDUS-X webpage on the iDEX and DIU websites.