INDUS-X SUMMIT

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context:

• The third edition of the INDUS-X Summit concluded in the United States.
• Title: “Harnessing Investment Opportunities to Enhance Cross-Border Defense Innovation Ecosystems”.

What is INDUS-X?

In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X).

Purpose

• INDUS-X serves as an innovation bridge, fostering partnerships among defense companies of all sizes from the U.S. and India.
• It involves incubators, accelerators, investors, and universities, backed by the support of both the S. and Indian governments.
• INDUS-X advances the commitment by the U.S. and Indian national security advisors to build a defense innovation bridge between the two countries under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).

Read above iCET: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/initiative-on-critical-and-emerging-technology

 Achievements so far

Joint Challenges:  

• Companies competed to identify commercial technology solutions that address warfighter challenges.  
• HydroNet, OceanComm, PierSight, Pixxel, and Sea-Gal Technologies collectively won $300,000 to develop technologies on maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and undersea communications. 

Education Series: 

During the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023, the INDUS-X Gurukul: a hybrid information series for U.S. and Indian defense start-ups was announced.

Industry and Academia Workshops:  

FedTech, as well as IIT Hyderabad in partnership with Hacking4Allies, organized workshops for over 120 defense start-ups on best practices for navigating the U.S. and Indian defense establishments.

Investor Strategy Session:

The U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), in collaboration with the IndUS Tech Council, hosted an investor strategy session in New Delhi in November 2023.

Industrial Partnerships:

• A U.S.-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer announced two partnerships to support U.S.-India industrial collaboration on India’s future MQ-9B UAV program.
• General Atomics is also partnering with Bharat Forge to manufacture MQ-9 components and assemblies in India for use on all MQ-9B aircraft
• Liquid Robotics collaborated with Indian partners to develop capabilities of the Wave Glider Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) to enhance maritime security.

Must read articles

iDEX: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/idex#:~:text=Funding%20and%20Management&text=DIO%20formed%20by%20two%20Defence,providing%20high%2Dlevel%20policy%20guidance.

India-USA defense relation: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/india-us-defence-relations-27

India – USA defense Industry cooperation: https://iasgyan.in/ig-uploads/pdf/INDIA-USA_DEFENCE_INDUSTRY_COOPERATION_AND_A_BOOST_FOR_MAKE_IN_INDIA_compressed.pdf

 Source:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2054372#:~:text=Held%20on%209%2D10%20September,(USISPF)%20and%20Stanford%20University.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3900912/us-india-indus-x-initiative-convenes-in-silicon-valley-for-third-summit/