India needs central defence innovation authority to meet $140-billion goal, says SIDM Chief

56 Innovation in Defence Excellence (iDEX) challenges issued by the Navy had attracted strong participation from startups and MSMEs, leading to a meaningful broadening of the defence-innovation ecosystem

India needs a national defence innovation authority, SIDM president Rajinder Singh Bhatia emphasised in remarks reported by Business Standard.

He said such a body-bringing together industry, academia, and the armed forces-would be essential for enabling the country to meet its targeted annual defence procurement of $140 billion by 2047 through indigenous technologies.

Bhatia told Business Standard that if the present annual growth of about 9 per cent in the defence budget continues, India's overall defence spending could reach $400 billion by 2047, with procurements alone touching $140 billion.

Speaking at the Indian Navy's fourth "Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation" (NIIO) seminar, Swavlamban 2025, he noted that this projection pointed to a sizeable domestic market that would demand a major expansion of India's defence-production and industrial base.

As reported by Business Standard, Bhatia urged a substantial increase in the share of defence research and development, recommending a rise to the global benchmark of 10-15 per cent.

The current R&D allocation-around Rs 26,000 crore or 5.1 per cent of the 2025-26 defence budget-would have to be significantly scaled up, he said, alongside the creation of a national defence innovation authority to coordinate efforts among key stakeholders. "We need to move fast," he remarked.

Business Standard also cited Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi's assessment of the progress under Swavlamban. The Chief of Naval Staff highlighted that 56 Innovation in Defence Excellence (iDEX) challenges issued by the Navy had attracted strong participation from startups and MSMEs, leading to a meaningful broadening of the defence-innovation ecosystem.

Tripathi pointed to 28 "Acceptances of Necessity" worth over Rs 2,700 crore and the induction of 16 new products as evidence of accelerated indigenous development in areas such as unmanned systems and advanced weapons technologies.

As highlighted by Business Standard, the Navy continues to use the iDEX framework to drive collaboration with startups, MSMEs, research organisations, and academic institutions, with the goal of strengthening domestic technological capability across the defence sector.