Start-ups should be involved in country’s defence, says Brigadier

Outreach session on business opportunities in cyber defence held at Technopark

As part of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme under the Ministry of Defence, an outreach session on business opportunities for tech firms in cyber defence was held at Technopark on Wednesday. Through the 9th edition of the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC 9), the Ministry aims at addressing the challenges in cybersecurity of the armed forces.

The outreach session focussed on the industry opportunities for start-ups, MSMEs, IT companies, and individual innovators to develop prototypes for the armed forces under the iDEX scheme. Brigadier Lalit Sharma, SC, SM, Brigade Commander, 91 Infantry Brigade and Station Commander, Pangode military station, delivered the keynote address. He emphasised the armed forces’ perspective and the need of industry and start-ups to be involved in the country’s defence and security as technology enablers.

Technopark CEO Sanjeev Nair delivered the welcome address and also gave an insight into Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), iDEX, and DISC-9. Kerala Startup Mission CEO Anoop Ambika and the heads of various tech firms as well as iDEX winners were present.