The third edition of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (Indus-X) Summit will be held at Stanford University in California early next month during which top defence leaders of the two countries will deliberate on enhancing the cross-border defence innovation ecosystem.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is among the key leaders who will address the summit on September 9 and 10 organised by the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in collaboration with Stanford University’s Gordian Knott Center for National Security Innovation and the Hoover Institution.
The Indus-X Summit will bring together top policymakers from Washington and New Delhi to strengthen advanced technology partnerships in defence innovation, a media release said. It said the summit will connect Indian and US leaders in defence innovation from startups, venture capital, academia, accelerators and industry with co-production and investment opportunities in both countries.
The theme of the 3rd Indus-X Summit is “Harnessing investment opportunities to enhance cross-border defence innovation ecosystem” and will highlight the role of private capital/investment in the defence innovation sector.
Indus-X was launched in June 2023 to expand strategic technology partnerships and defense industrial collaboration between Indian and US governments, businesses, accelerators/incubators, investors, and academia.
Innovations for Defense Excellence (IDEX) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) lead Indus-X for the Indian Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense (DoD), respectively.
Launched ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic state visit to the US, the first edition of the event was held on June 21 last year in Washington DC. The event saw a joint showcase of innovative technologies by Indian and US start-ups. 15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups from various sectors of maritime, AI, autonomous systems and space showcased their technologies to stakeholders.
The exhibition was visited by senior US officials, including Congressman Ro Khanna, who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technology, and Information Systems (CITI) in the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, and Radha Iyengar Plumb, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment in the US Department of Defense.
According to USISPF, the state-of-the-art Indus-X Tech Expo will showcase cutting-edge technologies and innovations from defence and aerospace startups and companies, attended by venture capital firms, academia, accelerators and tech professionals from the Gulf region.