'Work with us': DRDO chief Sameer V Kamat seeks private sector support on spacetech

The head of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), the country’s leading defence research agency, Dr Sameer V Kamat, has sought enhanced outside support to work on the space tech ecosystem. “If there are any academics, startups, micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs) or large companies here, my request to you is please work with us closely so that we can help our country achieve such capabilities faster than what we have been able to do for all our other systems,” DRDO chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat said on Tuesday.

 Dr. Kamat was speaking at the opening session of the three-day ‘Indian DefSpace Symposium’ organised by the apex industry body Indian Space Association (ISpA) in New Delhi. "Over the past few years, DRDO has started increasing its focus on this very critical domain. We are looking at space-based surveillance, space situational awareness and also protecting our space-based assets. Our capabilities are improving in all these areas but a lot more needs to be done!” he said. 

Kamat reiterated that DRDO was looking at developing new models of development to build capabilities. "Earlier, most of the development used to happen in the laboratory and then we would look out to transfer the system to the industry. But in space and, going forward, in other technologies, we are now looking at working very closely with the industry as well as the academia right from the development stage,” said Dr. Kamat.

The DRDO chief said the agency had initiated 15 DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Sciences (IISCs). “In all those centres of excellence, some technologies or others relevant to this domain are going to be the focus areas,” he said.

 In response to Dr. Kamat’s call, the director general of ISpA, Lt. Gen (Retd) Anil Kumar Bhatt assured the Indian industry was ready to contribute and play its part.