Newdelhi:15/9/26:Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveiled key policy initiatives during ‘VIMARSH’, a DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet, in New Delhi on September 15, 2026. The initiatives include a comprehensive framework to lower technical and financial entry barriers for MSMEs & deep-tech start-ups, offering direct funding, incubation support and dedicated access to DRDO testing facilities. A standardised, secure framework for sharing DRDO-developed software source code with licensee industries was also launched to accelerate software-defined defence capabilities, and Nine (09) Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToTS) were handed over to 13 manufacturing partners in the presence of Raksha Mantri to enable commercial production of state-of-the-art systems.
List of LAToTs handed over to Industry
Strategic MoUs were also formally exchanged with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB) to expand industry outreach and foster grass-roots participation. DRDO also signed a contract with the Quality Council of India for System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating (SAMAR) version 2.0 to benchmark the manufacturing maturity of domestic defence enterprises. Obsolescence management. In his address, Raksha Mantri asserted that the DRDO-Industry collaboration should no longer be limited to production alone, but expanded across the entire value chain encompassing research, design, testing, certification, and manufacturing to transform India into a global hub for defence manufacturing. “DRDO possesses knowledge and technology, the industry has scale and manufacturing capability, start-ups bring innovation and agility, and the youth hold the dream of a New India. When these four forces converge and move forward together, no goal is impossible. Speaking on the occasion, Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh said VIMARSH 2026, centered on the theme ‘Varta se Vikas’, has been strategically designed to align cutting-edge commercial innovation with national defence readiness and systematically integrate private sector capabilities into the core of the defence ecosystem. This forum serves as a key vehicle for transforming the national security framework from a mere transactional buyer-seller relationship into a collaborative, co-created technology ecosystem, he said.
A book titled ‘Defence Systems for Resilient Bharat – Advancing Aatmanirbharta in Defence’, a special compilation documenting significant defence systems developed by DRDO’s technology clusters between 2014 to 2026, was also released during the event, along with the guidelines for Human Resource Outsourcing Service Contracts in DRDO. The guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for formulation of service specifications for the procurement, selection of suitable service providers, contract administration, performance monitoring and compliance with contractual as well as statutory obligations for Human Resource Outsourcing across DRDO labs.
Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Finance) Shri Vishvajit Sahay and Distinguished Scientist & Director General (Production Coordination & Services Interaction), DRDO Dr (Smt.) Chandrika Kaushik were present on the occasion.
During the Technical Sessions, Directors General of DRDO Technological Clusters outlined technical roadmaps across Aeronautical Systems, Missiles, Armaments, Microelectronics, and Naval Systems. DRDO HQ introduced initiatives aimed at simplifying procedural compliance, fast-tracking facility access, and compressing licensing timelines.
In the High-Level Panel Discussion, senior representatives from DRDO, Department of Defence Production (DDP), and the Defence Forces deliberated on mechanisms for accelerating technology absorption, optimising Development-cum-Production Partner models, and ensuring rapid induction of indigenous technologies into active service.
The flagship event was attended by over 250 defence industry leaders, industry chamber representatives, senior civil and military officials and senior DRDO scientists. Secretary, DPIIT, also participated in the meet. Designed to strengthen the national defence-industrial framework, VIMARSH 2026 provided a structured platform to align DRDO’s technological research and emerging deep-tech startups with the established manufacturing ecosystem, creating an agile, transparent, and collaborative environment for private sector participation.
