Overview
- The National Defence Innovation Conclave at T‑Works in Hyderabad, held on Wednesday, drew more than 350 attendees and featured 42 T‑Works‑incubated defence startups showing their work.
- DRDO announced it will earmark 10% of its research and development budget for startups to create more direct pathways for unique technologies to enter defence projects.
- Exhibitors demonstrated technologies across artificial intelligence, semiconductors, autonomous systems, drones, robotics, defence electronics, advanced manufacturing and batteries.
- Speakers urged startups to move beyond prototypes and become accredited suppliers, and they identified concrete obstacles such as long procurement cycles, slow field testing, complex certification and limited manufacturing scale.
- Telangana pledged state support for a defence tech ecosystem that links incubators, industry and the armed forces, a move that could reduce reliance on lowest‑bid buying if testing facilities, procurement rules and patient funding are reformed.