iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence)
A programme by AIC-RNTU Foundation
AIC-RNTU supports founders applying to the Ministry of Defence's iDEX scheme, across its DISC, iDEX Prime, Open Challenge and ADITI sub-schemes.
At a glance
| Best for | Defence-tech startups, MSMEs and individual innovators |
|---|---|
| Stage | Idea – Growth |
| Grant support | For selected startups. A place in the programme does not by itself guarantee a grant. |
| Run with | Ministry of Defence (iDEX) |
About iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence)
iDEX is a Ministry of Defence scheme backing startups, MSMEs, research institutions and individual innovators building for India's defence sector. AIC-RNTU supports applicants with access to its labs and manufacturing facilities, help facilitating industrial and corporate collaboration, guidance filing iDEX applications, investor connections to meet matching-contribution requirements, and networking and exposure events. iDEX itself runs several sub-schemes with different funding caps, from DISC and Open Challenge at the smaller end up to ADITI at the largest. One AIC-RNTU-supported startup, Light Guide Optics Pvt. Ltd., won an iDEX Prime award to build a high-resolution optical telescope.
Who can apply: Startups recognised by DPIIT, MSMEs incorporated under the Companies Act, and individual innovators, including from research and academic institutions.
How to apply: Apply on idex.gov.in, under iDEX Challenges, selecting the relevant category.
Where to apply
Other AIC-RNTU Foundation programmes
- IdeateA 10-week pre-incubation programme that helps idea-stage founders turn a concept into an MVP.
- DiscoverA 13-week hybrid incubation programme for early-stage startups working toward market entry and pre-seed or seed funding.
- GrowthAn accelerator for revenue-generating startups; AIC-RNTU's own pages give its length as both 10 and 12 weeks.
- Investment Ready Program (IRP)A 10-week programme, currently closed to applications, preparing revenue-generating startups to raise investment.
- Investment BridgeA recurring, sector-specific pitch day for revenue-generating startups; the open edition is scoped to deeptech and AI.
- GENESISMeitY's Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups scheme, delivered at AIC-RNTU through an EIR grant, an investment-matching grant, pilot funding, and deep-tech funding.
- NIDHI-Seed Support Program (NIDHI-SSP)DST's seed-support scheme for early-stage, primarily science-and-technology startups, delivered through AIC-RNTU; closed at the time of research.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)DPIIT's national seed-fund scheme; AIC-RNTU is one of its implementing incubators.
- MSME Idea HackathonA Ministry of MSME innovation challenge that AIC-RNTU hosts through RNTU as the recognised Host Institute; its 5th edition closed at the end of July 2025.
- SHEVolutionA 10-week pre-incubation track for women founders; the 2026 cohort's application status is unclear, with conflicting signals on the programme's own page.