HYDERABAD: T-Hub has partnered with the Indian Army’s Central Command to create a direct pathway for defence startups to develop and validate technologies for military deployment.
Under the partnership, the Central Command will provide problem statements based on operational requirements. T-Hub will identify suitable startups to develop solutions, while a joint oversight committee will monitor the programme and coordinate engagements between startups and Army stakeholders.
The collaboration will allow founders to work directly with end users and incorporate operational feedback while developing and validating their products, T-Hub said on Tuesday.
The partnership builds on T-Hub’s existing collaboration with the Army’s Western Command. The Hyderabad-based incubator is also among 28 organisations selected to implement the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme.
T-Hub has engaged with more than 100 defence startups and hosted over 70 iDEX challenges. Startups supported through the programme have secured commercial defence orders worth more than Rs 250 crore, besides more than Rs 4.2 crore in grants and proof-of-concept projects worth Rs 9 crore, according to a release.
T-Hub CEO Kavikrut said the partnership would give founders direct access to end users and help ensure that technologies meet real-world deployment requirements.