The inaugural edition of the Tri Services Academia Technology Symposium (T-SATS) commenced today at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, synergising the Services-Academia R&D ecosystem for development of niche and futuristic technologies tailored for the Indian Armed Forces. The symposium was inaugurated by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan. The event witnessed participation from Directors and Heads of Departments of academic and premier R&D institutions, along with students from 62 institutes including IISc, IITs, IIITs and Private Technology Institutes.
In his address, the CDS highlighted the changing nature of modern warfare, driven by convergence across kinetic and non-kinetic domains, necessitating advanced integrated technological solutions. He emphasised the critical role of academia, startups and industry in developing doctrines and indigenous capabilities across platforms, weapons, networks to meet future operational demands. He called for a whole-of-nation approach, urging academia to scale innovation and commit to making India a global leader in next-generation defence technologies.
The CDS also inaugurated a Technology Exhibition showcasing 43 selected innovative exhibits by academia. These innovations were evaluated by Subject Matter Experts from various technology domains of the three Services for their potential military applications. Projects showing promise will be considered for R&D collaboration and funding support in future.
A major highlight of the day was a series of 95 structured One-on-One meetings between academic innovators and service representatives. These closed-door sessions provided a platform for academia to pitch R&D proposals and receive strategic guidance on converting ideas into military-use cases, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented environment. These meetings will continue on 23rd September 2025 also.
MsOU were signed with following academic institutes during the day: –
- Ajeenkya DY Patil University
- Gujarat National Law University
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education
- MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
- Nirma University
- Oriental Institute of Science and Technology
- Rashtriya Raksha University
- National Research Development Corporation.
Among the various sessions held, the seminar on ‘Overview of the Operational Conditions including Present and Future Technology Needs of Services’, highlighted the blurring lines between conventional and non-conventional threats and stressed the need for a mission-driven technological collaboration with academia. The Seminar on ‘Understanding the R&D Ecosystem in the Academia’ highlighted the need for institutionalised defence-focused research frameworks.
Themed “Vivek va Anusandhan se Vijay” (विवेक व अनुसंधान से विजय) – Victory through Wisdom and Research, the symposium, a first of its kind, is a significant step towards fostering deeper integration between academic research capabilities and defence technology requirements. By connecting the Armed Forces with the vast untapped intellectual and technical capital within Indian academia, T-SATS aims to build a sustainable and strategic partnership to co-create future-ready solutions for national security.
