A MoU between the US Department of Defence’s Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the iDEX of Indian Ministry of Defence’s Defence Innovation Organization (DIO) was signed at the just held INDUS-X Summit at California, demonstrating a shared commitment for expanding cooperation on defence innovation that would offer respective militaries access to cutting edge technologies.

In a statement to the media on Friday, the Ministry of Defence said the MoU was meant to “increase co-operation in defence innovation and deepen collaboration to facilitate industry, research, and investment partnerships among the stakeholders.”

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

The third edition of the INDUS-X (India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem) Summit, which saw participation of the US Department of Defence (DoD) and Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD), was held in Silicon Valley, California, over two days from September 9.

It was co-hosted by the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and Stanford University.

As per the DoD statement of September 10, “non-traditional processes” would be used for giving access to cutting-edge technologies born out of this platform to respective militaries.

Joint Secretary (Defence Industries Promotion) Amit Satija who led the Indian delegation said this edition of INDUS-X Summit reaffirmed the commitment of both the countries in advancing defence technology through innovation and strategic collaboration.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and U. SPACECOM Commander General Stephen Whiting delivered keynote remarks at the Summit, providing insights and perspectives on the future of defence cooperation between the US and India, read a release from the DoD issued on September 10.

The MoD said that the discussions at the Summit focused, among others, on future technology trends, capacity building of startups, funding opportunities for defence innovations and strengthening defence supply chains.

The Summit offers a platform for joint showcase of next generation technologies by startups and MSMEs. It also enables critical dialogue through Senior Advisory Group and Senior Leaders Forum, the two advisory forums under INDUS-X.

Distinguished experts from defence industry, investment firms, startups, academia, think tanks, accelerators, policymakers, etc. from both nations participated, stated the Ministry.