Rajnath Singh calls for partnerships between Defence Forces, DRDO, academic institutions, defence public sector undertakings, private industry and start-ups to advance indigenous technology development. IIT Kanpur's role highlighted.
On October 14, 2026, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh emphasised the importance of close collaboration among various entities to accelerate the development, adoption and continuous upgradation of indigenous technologies in the rapidly evolving nature of warfare. This call was made during the launch of IIT Kanpur’s ‘Greater Than Us’ fundraising campaign.
The Defence Minister underscored that strengthening indigenous technological capabilities is strategically crucial as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, unmanned platforms, advanced sensors, cybersecurity and space-based technologies are reshaping military dynamics. He highlighted the growing interlinkage between national security and technological capability and stressed that IITs can contribute significantly by aligning academic research with operational defence requirements and industry needs.
Shri Rajnath Singh praised the Government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ commitment, which lies at the centre of its ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision. This commitment aims to create a technologically capable, economically competitive, innovative and confident nation that is not just a consumer of knowledge & technology but an active contributor to their creation.
The Defence Minister emphasised the importance of strong institutions of higher education and research in realising this vision. He noted that the Government has made sustained efforts to strengthen the ecosystem, whose growing contribution to innovation and entrepreneurship is reflected in the IIT ecosystem’s support for over 6,000 start-ups, 56 unicorns and nearly 5,000 patents.
Acknowledging the initiatives undertaken in this direction, Raksha Mantri made special mention of IIT Kanpur’s DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence and welcomed the proposal to establish a School of Defence Technologies at the Institute. He added that the proposal to set up a National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence to fast-track indigenisation and innovation to gain combat edge, has made significant progress and its approval process is nearing completion.
The Minister expressed confidence that such partnerships would bring scientific talent, institutional expertise and the operational experience of the Defence Forces under one umbrella to develop indigenous technologies of strategic importance. Credible academic institutions can play a crucial role in translating research into practical defence applications and addressing the evolving technological requirements of the military.
On IIT Kanpur’s role in strengthening Uttar Pradesh’s industrial ecosystem, Raksha Mantri said that the institute can serve as a bridge between scientific research and industrial application, emerging technologies and enterprise. He noted that Kanpur’s rich industrial legacy, coupled with IIT Kanpur’s technological expertise can generate new opportunities for entrepreneurship, employment, investment and economic growth, contributing to the state’s vision of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy.
Shri Rajnath Singh referred to the C3i Cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Kanpur and the institute’s medical school, terming them as significant initiatives in cybersecurity, healthcare and medical technology innovation.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
