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The Indian Navy is gearing up for the second edition of its Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar, known as 'Swavlamban-2023,' set to take place on October 4-5.
This seminar follows the resounding success of the inaugural edition held in July 2022. The first edition of Swavlamban witnessed the honourable Prime Minister launching the 'SPRINT Challenges' initiative. Under SPRINT, 75 challenges were presented to startups and MSMEs, aimed at fostering the use of indigenous technology within the Indian Navy. The Navy is committed to developing a minimum of 75 technologies and products in line with the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations. SPRINT, which stands for Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), is a collaborative initiative involving the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), NIIO (Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation), and Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC). This initiative received an overwhelming response, with 1106 proposals submitted. After a rigorous evaluation process, 113 winners under the DISC 7 SPRINT category, each receiving grants of up to 1.5 crore, were declared. Additionally, 5 winners in the DISC 7 SPRINT-PRIME category, receiving grants of up to 10 crores, were announced. These winners are actively developing prototypes in collaboration with iDEX and industry partners. The projects span a wide spectrum of niche technologies, including blue-green lasers for underwater applications, autonomous weaponized swarms, underwater swarm drones, various firefighting aids, and the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for diverse applications. Notably, an ultra-endurance small drone designed for maritime missions is also in development. Swavlamban-2023, scheduled for October 4-5, 2023, in New Delhi, aims to showcase these 75 prototypes. The event will feature live demonstrations of select promising technologies, highlighting the Indian Navy's commitment to innovation and indigenization in defence technology. (ANI)
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