Advancing India’s Defence Capabilities: New DRDO Research Verticals And Thrust Areas Target Future Tech Needs

In a significant move to advance defence technology research, the Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM) at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) headquarters in New Delhi on Friday (7 January) announced a major overhaul of its Research Verticals and Thrust Areas.

This strategic update, targeting the DRDO Industry Academia – Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs), aims to refine research directions and integrate cutting-edge deep technology fields.

Previously encompassing 65 research verticals across 15 DIA-CoEs, the realignment expands this to 82 verticals.

The enhancement not only increases the breadth of research areas but also deepens the focus on future technology needs essential for DRDO laboratories.

The newly introduced research domains include promising fields such as 'Compound Semiconductor Technologies' at IIT Bombay, innovative 'Laser Beam Combining based Communication, Power Transmission & Manufacturing and Extraction & Recycling of Materials' at IIT Hyderabad.

Other additions involve 'Software Defined Radios' at IIT Kanpur, 'Emerging RF Technologies' at IIT Roorkee, and 'Cryptography and Information Security' at IIT Kharagpur among others.

"The new realignment is expected to encourage stronger interdisciplinary, multi-institutional research collaboration engaging Industry & academia, minimise duplicative efforts, and maximise resource utilisation across the institutions," Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

"Additionally, it will also ensure that DIA-CoEs contribute meaningfully to address DRDO’s future technology challenges and shaping the future of defence technology," it added.

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