Indian Army held Idea & Innovation Competition and Seminar titled 'Inno Yodha 2023' at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on December 5, 2023. The event signifies importance accorded by the Indian Army in embracing modernisation and pursue technological advancement through indigenisation and in-house innovations. The event was aimed at showcasing technological innovations carried out by the users within the organisation.

The event was attended by serving personnel besides eminent personalities from academia and defence industry. During his address to the gathering, General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff appreciated the creativity and ingenuity of the innovators and exhorted the 'Thinking Warriors' in the Indian Army to continue conceptualising practical and innovative solutions for the nation and Indian Army.

Innovations by Indian Army personnel is a testimony of the passion, professional competence and technical knowledge of all ranks in finding in-house solutions to the operational needs of the field formations. The operational challenges faced by the Indian Army are varied, aggravated by the vagaries of terrain, weather and adversarial threats. The dynamics of man and machine are compounded by the ever-evolving alchemy of technology and doctrines. No one else but the ground soldier appreciates this fact better and hence continuously endeavours to evolve in-house solutions for the Army's operational and administrative challenges.

Towards this, the annual Ideas & Innovation Competition conducted by the Indian Army propagates critical thinking, facilitates absorption of fresh ideas and encourages all ranks to 'Think Out of the Box'. It also harmonises efforts of the Indian Army towards the ultimate aim of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

This year, a total of 80 innovations from all across the Indian Army were shortlisted out of which 34 have been finally selected for further development. These innovations are not only restricted to conventional systems and technology but also include innovative solutions in the domains of niche technologies like, AI, Software applications, Unmanned Arial Platforms and Counter Drone Systems.

22 top innovations were displayed during the Event and Innovators associated with these innovations were felicitated by the Chief of Army Staff. From their present state, the selected innovations will be taken forward by collaborating with Academia and Industry partners to develop military grade ruggedised solutions.

Towards this, the Army Design Bureau of Indian Army has taken path-breaking initiatives for connecting capabilities of the entire defence industry ecosystem to fulfill operational requirements of field formations. Last year, for the first time, the expertise of premier Academia was harmonised, and fifteen niche tech innovations were identified to be taken forward with Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer, IIT Delhi to benchmark their technology levels. Intellectual Property Rights applications for eight of them have already been filed. While converging the operational requirement of the Indian Army and the technology experience of our academia to make world-class products, through dedicated funding from the Army, four niche tech innovations are being developed under the guidance of faculty from IIT Delhi through the Army Technology Board route.

Technology for an innovation "Vidyut Rakshak- an IOT-based Generator Monitoring and Control System" was transferred to the Indian industry for mass production. During the event, MoU was also signed between the Indian Army and the Foundation of Innovation and Technology Transfer for technological collaboration and consultation.

As the curtains fall on this landmark event, the innovative spirit displayed by the in-house talent instilled a sense of pride and optimism for the future. The innovative ideas and groundbreaking solutions presented during the competition and seminar underscore the importance accorded by the Indian Army towards the process of transformation. These initiatives demonstrate an unwavering commitment by the Indian Army not only to safeguard the territorial integrity but also to inspire the current and future generations to think innovatively.