New Delhi, September 18, 2023 (Indian Defence News)- The Indian Navy is poised to take a giant leap in fostering indigenous innovation and indigenisation with the upcoming ‘Swavlamban-2023’ seminar, scheduled to be held on October 4th and 5th, 2023, in New Delhi. This momentous event will mark the 2nd edition of the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar, reaffirming the Navy’s commitment to promoting homegrown technologies.
Just hours ago, the official Twitter handle of the Indian Navy, SpokespersonNavy, shared the exciting news. The highlight of Swavlamban-2023 will be the showcase of 75 cutting-edge prototypes developed as part of the ‘SPRINT Challenge.’ These challenges were initially unveiled by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in July 2022, as a crucial step in promoting the use of indigenous technology within the Indian Navy.
2nd Ed of #IndianNavy’s Naval Innovation & Indigenisation Seminar #Swavlamban2023 to be held on 04–05 Oct 2023
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) September 18, 2023
Will showcase prototypes of winners of '#SPRINT Challenge' launched by Hon'ble #PrimeMinister during #Swavlamban 2022@PMOIndia
Details https://t.co/TFrjMSF6tL
File📸s pic.twitter.com/rngffdifc3
The ‘SPRINT Challenges’ initiative aims to accelerate the development of indigenous technologies and products. In line with the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebration, the Navy is determined to create at least 75 indigenous technologies or products as part of this initiative.
SPRINT, an acronym for ‘Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence,’ is a collaborative effort between the Indian Navy, the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), and the Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC). The response to this initiative has been overwhelming, with 1106 proposals submitted.
After a rigorous evaluation process, a total of 113 winners under the DISC 7 SPRINT category, with grants of up to 1.5 crore, and 5 winners in the DISC 7 SPRINT-PRIME category, with grants of up to 10 crore, were declared. These winners are actively working on developing their prototypes, marking significant progress in the collaboration between iDEX, the industry, and the Indian Navy.
The prototypes that will be showcased during Swavlamban-2023 span a wide range of niche technologies. These include blue-green lasers for underwater applications, autonomous weaponised swarms, underwater swarm drones, multiple firefighting aids, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for various applications, and the development of an ultra-endurance small drone tailored for maritime missions.
Swavlamban-2023 is expected to be a platform for the Indian Navy to exhibit its commitment to innovation and indigenisation. The event will not only showcase these 75 prototypes but also feature live demonstrations of select technologies, highlighting the strides being made in advancing indigenous capabilities within the Navy.
With over 100 developmental agreements already in place between iDEX and the industry, Swavlamban-2023 promises to be a pivotal event in the journey towards a self-reliant and technologically advanced Indian Navy.
You can see the images of Swavlamban Seminar 2022 from here:
Image & News source – Twitter @indiannavy & PIB.
