Keynote Address
Ajay Kumar (Speaker) (Zoom)
From Assembly to Innovation: India’s Defense Industry Transformation Through iDEX
Abstract: India’s defense industry is shifting from licensed-production to an innovation-driven ecosystem, driven not by large corporations or research labs, but by agile startups. This transformation started with the launch of Innovation for Defense Excellence (iDEX) in 2018.
Biography: Dr. Ajay Kumar, former Defense Secretary of India (2019–2022), played a pivotal role in defense modernization, aerospace procurement, and industry reforms, including the corporatization of the Ordnance Factories Board. He was architect of iDEX and contributed to reforms in India’s geospatial and drone policies. Earlier, he was instrumental in Digital India, shaping Aadhaar, UPI, and Government e-Marketplace. A Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Kanpur and Senior Fellow at Carnegie India, he mentors startups and writes “Off the Grid” for Business Standard. He is also Founder-Chairman of Mounttech Growth Fund-Kavachh a VC fund supporting startups in defense, space and deep-tech. He holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota and a B.Tech from IIT Kanpur.
Yogesh Joshi (Moderator)
Biography: Dr. Yogesh Joshi is Indian Community Endowed Assistant Professor and Director, India Center. His research focuses on military technological diffusion among rising powers, conventional military and nuclear strategy, and alliance politics, with an empirical focus on India, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.