NORTH TECH SYMPOSIUM, 11-13 SEP 2023

Introduction

The operational challenges in Northern Command pave the way for equipment procurements for Indian Army. While equipment requirements of Northern Command are being proactively addressed, the state of the art war machinery, under consideration for Indian Army is being tested in the tough environs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, before acceptance.

In the recent past, imaginative and offensive exploitation of technology has challenged the status quo in the battlefield. Keeping with these developments, in the coming years the existing and emerging technologies will fundamentally change future border management.

The annual North Tech Symposium organized under the aegis of Headquarters Northern Command provides a platform where the requirements of Northern Command in particular and Indian Army in general are synergised with the capabilities and product availabilities from the industry and the academia.

Objectives

· Engage with Academia and Industry to identify unique/ customized solutions to meet operational requirements of the Northern Army.

· Provide platform to the Original Equipment Manufacturers/ Vendors to showcase existing products and undertake new launch.

· Promote inclusive Atmanirbharta in Defence Production and Technology Proliferation byencouraging startups and MSMEs.

· Create an effective eco-system for knowledge diffusion on contemporary Defence technologies.

· Enhance technological knowledge threshold of the participants through joint Army - Industry – Academia participation.

Event and Activities

Under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign, the Defence sector has been identified as one of the key focus areas. DefenceAtmanirbharta has received the desired thrust through policy changes in FDI, Budget reforms and introduction of positive indigenisation list. Indian Army and Northern Command too have converged the focus and aligned it to the national aim of self reliance through indigenisation.

11th of September 2001 (9/11) is etched in history as the day, the world was jolted out of its slumber, when the most powerful nation of the planet was hit at its financial heart. This date, in a way, symbolizes the awakening and unison of mankind towards acts of terror as a means of warfare through non state actors. North Tech Symposium 2023 will be unfurled on this day in 2023 to rededicate the efforts towards rekindling the spirit of innovation to meet the immediate and futuristic security requirements and to mitigate the possibilities of such incidents being repeated in future.

The 2023 version will be unique, as for the first time since its inception (15 years back), the North Tech Symposium will be held over three days (11-13 Sep) in a civil establishment viz IIT Jammu. The Symposium will provide a platform to synergise the requirements of the Indian Army with the potential and capabilities of the academia and the industry (Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM)) at the IIT Jammu campus. IIT Jammu was established in August 2016 and moved to its present campus spread across 25 acres (to expand to 400 acres) in the year 2018. It is one of the 23 IITs in India and specializes in Communications and Cyber applications, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Renewable & Sustainable Energy, Biomedical Research, Catalysis and Synthesis. The premier institution also has an MoU with Northern Command for pursuing R&D projects. SIDM was formalized in 2017 under the umbrella of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), plays a proactive role as an advocate, catalyst and facilitator for the growth and capability building of the defence industry in India. SIDM will help in synergizing the participation of its members during North Tech Symposium 2023.

The Indian Army representatives from Delhi, and all commands pan India, private sector, start ups, DPSUs, R&D Organizations & Academia will get engaged concurrently, over the three day event. Highlights of the activities being held:-

· Exhibition of latest products by over 200 industry participants on various technologies with special encouragement to start ups.

· Product launches typical to the requirements of the Armed Forces.

· One on One Structured Interaction with industry representatives and the academia to bridge the gap between requirement and capabilities.

· Technical Seminar(s) to invigorate fertile minds through exchange of novel ideas and concepts.

· Ideas and Innovation Display by students and the Army with due recognition and awards.

· Military Equipment Display by the Armed Forces to acquaint general public, industry and academia for a hands on experience and foster nationalistic fervor.