New Delhi, Mar 3 (Reporter) To promote indigenous innovation and facilitate partnerships to address the evolving security challenges, the Innovations for Defense Excellence-Defence Innovation Organization (iDEX-DIO) is organizing DefConnect 2024 at the Manekshaw Centre here on Monday. The event will be inaugurated by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, an official statement said. DefConnect 2024 represents a significant milestone in the country’s defense innovation landscape, bringing together key stakeholders including the Armed Forces, defense industry leaders, start-ups, academia, and policymakers. The event aims to facilitate meaningful engagements, showcase cutting-edge technologies, and be poised to be a transformative platform for fostering collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the defense sector. The event will attract a large number of innovators and investors from India’s leading industries in the defense sector. The iDEX framework allows military personnel to work with innovators in a co-development model. They serve as end-user, nodal, and domain experts. This collaboration helps guide innovation and smoothly integrate advancements into existing platforms by leveraging the expertise and insights of the end user. Till date, iDEX has launched 10 rounds of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) and 11 rounds of Open Challenges (OC), receiving more than 9,000 applications from individual innovators and start-ups against challenges from the Tri-Services, Defense Space Agency, Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Indian Coast Guard, Border Roads Organization, and other agencies. The event will also witness an all-women panel discussion on ‘Women as Drivers of Change’ ahead of International Women's Day on March 8. The showcase of cutting-edge technologies developed by iDEX winners is going to be the key attraction for all the visitors. It will offer a unique opportunity to meet iDEX start-ups and understand their innovative technologies. The iDEX, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, essentially provides a unified platform for various stakeholders in the defense and aerospace sectors. It acts like an umbrella organization to oversee technology development and potential collaborations in this specific field...////...