Washington D.C., June 22: India and the United States have jointly launched the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) initiative to bolster their strategic technology partnership and defence cooperation.
The initiative aims to enhance innovation, accessibility, and resilience within the defence sectors of both countries.
Key Highlights:
- INDUS-X aims to foster collaboration between Indian and US start-ups by providing access to each other’s research and development (R&D) centres and innovation labs.
- The Defence Innovation Bridge, a part of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), was operationalized under INDUS-X.
- In 2022, US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly announced the establishment of iCET, an initiative aimed at fostering collaboration on vital and evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing.
- A joint event showcased innovative technologies from 15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups in domains such as maritime, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and space.
- The INDUS-X initiative will facilitate closer cooperation between the private sectors and promote innovation within the defence industrial bases of India and the US.
- Actions include the establishment of a Senior Advisor Group (SAG) to assess progress and make recommendations for future work, as well as industry and academia-led initiatives to support start-ups.
- Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) will be explored to address joint challenges, and opportunities for enhanced testing, certification, and standardization will be identified.
- Efforts will be made to attract private investors to support investment in defence and dual-use start-ups.
- Regulatory adjustments and coordination with existing trade dialogues will be considered to streamline start-up innovation and increase procurement opportunities.
The launch of INDUS-X marks a significant milestone in strengthening collaboration between India and the US in critical and emerging technologies, fostering a more robust and productive partnership in the defence sector.
