New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan on Monday underscored that the evolving nature of modern warfare—marked by convergence across kinetic and non-kinetic domains—demands advanced, integrated technological solutions.
Addressing the inaugural Tri-Services Academia Technology Symposium (T-SATS) at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment, Gen Chauhan stressed the need to strengthen the services–academia–R&D ecosystem to develop niche and futuristic technologies critical for national defence.
Highlighting the role of academia, start-ups, and industry, he urged them to build indigenous capabilities across platforms, weapons, networks, and doctrines to meet future operational requirements. He called for a “whole-of-nation” approach and encouraged academia to scale innovation and help position India as a global leader in next-generation defence technologies.
The symposium brought together directors, department heads, and students from 62 institutes, including IISc, IITs, IIITs, and leading private technology universities. A technology exhibition featuring 43 innovative projects from academia was also inaugurated by the CDS. Subject matter experts from the three services evaluated these innovations for potential military applications, with promising projects to be considered for collaboration and funding.
One of the event’s key highlights was 95 structured one-on-one meetings between academic innovators and service representatives. These closed-door sessions allowed academia to pitch R&D proposals and receive guidance on converting concepts into military-use cases. The interactions will continue on Tuesday.
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were also signed with several institutions, including IIT-Madras, Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Gujarat National Law University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Nirma University, Oriental Institute of Science and Technology, Rashtriya Raksha University, and the National Research Development Corporation.
Themed ‘Vivek va Anusandhan se Vijay’ (victory through wisdom and research), T-SATS marks the first such initiative to align academic research with defence needs. According to the defence ministry, the symposium aims to forge a sustainable and strategic partnership that leverages India’s intellectual and technical capital to co-create future-ready solutions for national security.
