Defence Innovation Organisation

Start by choosing the route

• A problem statement from the Armed Forces matches what you build: DISC, when an edition is open.
• Critical or strategic technology that needs a long development runway: ADITI, when an edition is open. It is meant for technology at an early stage of research and development.
• You have spotted a defence need that no problem statement covers: the Open Challenge, where you define the problem yourself.
• You work with a defence PSU's own needs: DRISHTI, when it reopens. The PSUs run it themselves.

A project cannot be moved from the Open Challenge into ADITI, so pick the route before you apply.

How applications work

• Applications go through the iDEX portal. The challenge forms sit behind a login, so create an account early and read each form before the window closes.
• DISC and ADITI problem statements open for a fixed window. DIO says editions generally come around twice a year.
• DIO's pages disagree about the Open Challenge. They describe it as open all year, with applications reviewed every three months, but the challenges page shows its latest window as closed on 30 September 2026. Check the portal for the next window.
• Apply separately for each problem statement or nodal agency you want to approach.

Check eligibility before you start

• A startup needs a majority Indian stake.
• Joint ventures and consortia of companies cannot apply.
• There is no minimum technology readiness level.
• An individual innovator can apply, but under ADITI has to register as a startup or MSME after selection.
• You can win only one ADITI challenge at a time.

How selection and funding work

• Selection is through a high-powered selection committee, and for ADITI it is led by the challenge owner with subject experts and representatives from academia and industry.
• You must be able to fund a matching contribution of at least half of the product development budget, in cash, past expenditure or in-kind.
• If you are short of matching capital, DIO points founders to its Investor Hub for matchmaking.
• Grants are released in milestones, so plan the project in stages that can be reviewed.
• Read the grant agreement on equity. DIO says it takes none, but another page on its site mentions equity as a possible structure.

The Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) is a not-for-profit Section 8 company formed under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It funds and manages Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the framework through which startups, MSMEs and individual innovators build technology for the Indian Armed Forces and defence public sector undertakings. iDEX was formally launched in April 2018 during DefExpo 2018, and DIO works from an office in New Delhi.

How the programmes work

iDEX runs on challenges. In the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC), the Services and other nodal agencies write problem statements from their operational requirements and capability gaps, and applicants pitch a solution to one of them. DISC comes in numbered editions, which DIO says are generally launched twice a year, subject to its own requirements and approvals. The 14th edition was launched in March 2026 with 82 problem statements and closed on 4 May 2026.

ADITI, short for Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX, is a sub-scheme of iDEX for critical and strategic technologies. It carries a much higher grant ceiling and a longer development timeline than DISC. Its fourth edition, with 25 problem statements, was launched alongside DISC 14 and closed on the same day. In the Open Challenge, applicants choose the problem themselves and send a proposal for a need of the Services, a defence PSU or another nodal agency. DISC and ADITI problem statements are open only for a fixed window.

The challenges page also lists iDEX Prime, a higher-grant series whose latest round closed in March 2026, and DRISHTI, a set of 101 problem statements from defence PSUs that closed in May 2026. DIO's own help pages name only DISC, ADITI and Open Challenge as its current categories, so the portal and the help pages do not describe the same list.

As of 7 October 2026 every challenge on the portal is marked closed. There is no window to apply to today, and founders need to watch the portal for the next DISC or ADITI edition or the next Open Challenge window.

Who can apply

DISC and the Open Challenge accept three kinds of applicant: startups recognised by the Government of India, Indian companies incorporated under the Companies Act that are primarily MSMEs, and individual innovators. Research and academic institutions can apply under the individual category. A startup must have a majority Indian stake. Joint ventures and consortia of companies cannot apply, and there is no minimum technology readiness level for a prototype.

ADITI follows the same entity rules, with extra conditions. An individual innovator who is selected has to register as a startup or MSME afterwards. Support is provided for up to two winners in each ADITI challenge, an applicant can win only one ADITI challenge at a time, and a fresh ADITI challenge is considered only after the previous one is closed.

How funding works

Winners of a challenge receive grant-in-aid under SPARK, the Support for Prototype and Research Kickstart in Defence. Founders do not apply to SPARK separately. A startup becomes eligible once it is declared a winner. Funds are released in six milestone-based instalments under the grant agreement, and the grantee must put in a matching contribution of at least half of the product development budget. That contribution can be in cash, past expenditure or in-kind. DIO oversees grant management and monitoring, while the partner incubator handles business support, mentoring and startup facilitation.

DIO states that it takes no equity or ownership in the startup or MSME. Another page on its site describes funding as being in the form of equity or other relevant structures, so read the grant agreement carefully before you sign. The development timeline is up to 24 months for DISC and the Open Challenge, and up to 36 months for ADITI. A winner can hold up to five active contracts with DIO at a time, a limit DIO raised in 2022.

Partner incubators and investors

iDEX works with partner incubators that mentor founders and monitor their projects. Its pages give different counts: the partners page says 28 incubators, the help pages say 21, and the partners page itself lists 21 entries. A separate group of six incubators supports ADITI startups. PIEDS and FITT, IIT Delhi are among those listed.

The iDEX Investor Hub, launched during Aero India 2023, is DIO's way of connecting winners with investors. DIO reports memoranda of understanding with eighteen investors. It describes four pillars: access to investors interested in defence and deep technology, master classes on raising investment, mentoring, and showcases at national and international forums. INDUS-X, a joint effort with the US Defense Innovation Unit, ran Joint IMPACT Challenges that are now closed. DIO has also run Innovate 4 Defence, a 45-day internship for students of higher educational institutions, whose fourth edition was launched in February 2023. The site shows no current intake for it.

Scale

These are DIO's own figures. The March 2026 launch put forward 107 problem statements from the Defence Forces, the Indian Coast Guard and the Defence Space Agency, 82 under DISC 14 and 25 under ADITI 4, plus 101 from defence PSUs. DIO announced its 150th contract in December 2022. The scheme document it publishes says iDEX received the Prime Minister's Award for Public Policy in Innovation for 2021. The site does not give a single current total for startups supported, so this page does not either.

Who runs it

DIO was formed by two founder members, the defence public sector undertakings HAL and BEL. Its Chairman is the Secretary for Defence Production and its CEO is an Additional Secretary in the same department. Government officers hold these posts, so the names change. A Chief Operating Officer and a Deputy Director General for iDEX work under them. The scheme document says the Comptroller and Auditor General audits DIO at the end of each year.

Locations and contact

DIO's office is on the 8th floor of Konnectus Tower-II, Bhavabhuti Marg, DMRC Building, Ajmeri Gate, New Delhi 110002. Its registered office is given as Bharat Electronics Limited, Outer Ring Road, Nagavara, Bangalore 560045. General queries go to idexdio@ddpmod.gov.in. Its careers page currently lists no vacancies.