iDEX Open Challenge — SPARK Grant up to ₹1.5 Crore for a Defence Solution You Define
Tell the Ministry what you have built
iDEX — Innovations for Defence Excellence — is the Ministry of Defence's innovation framework, run since 2018 by the Defence Innovation Organisation. Its main tracks, DISC and ADITI, publish problem statements from the armed forces and invite solutions. The Open Challenge inverts that: a startup, MSME or individual innovator proposes a defence-relevant problem and its own solution, on iDEX's official templates. It is the route for a breakthrough in robotics, AI, materials, propulsion or communications that no published challenge happens to cover.
Winners receive a SPARK grant of up to ₹1.5 crore, released in milestones — 10% at kick-off and up to 30% per tranche thereafter — and are incubated with an iDEX Partner Incubator with access to Service users for trials. The grant is non-dilutive. The 2026 round closed on 30 June 2026; Open Challenge rounds have recurred alongside each DISC edition.
What a winner receives
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| SPARK grant | Up to ₹1.5 crore, milestone-based; a matching contribution from the applicant is required |
| Release | 10% on kick-off, up to 30% per milestone tranche, balance on completion |
| Validation | Access to the armed forces and DPSUs for trials and feedback |
| Incubation | iDEX Partner Incubator mentoring and facilities |
| Pathway | Fast-track to iDEX PRIME (up to ₹10 crore) and procurement under the Make-II and iDEX procurement provisions |
DIO and the Services
DIO, a not-for-profit company under the Department of Defence Production, runs the challenge. A High Powered Selection Committee with Service representatives evaluates proposals on operational relevance, technical merit and feasibility; the relevant Service HQ endorses the problem statement.
Startups, MSMEs and individuals
- •DPIIT-recognised startup, or an Indian company that is primarily an MSME under the MSMED Act, or an individual innovator
- •Indian ownership and control as required by the iDEX guidelines
- •A defence-relevant problem and a solution at a stage where a ₹1.5 crore grant can produce a demonstrable prototype
- •Ability to bring the matching contribution
What the application needs
- •Proposed Problem Statement on the official template — operational context, gap, user
- •Proposed Technical Solution on the official template — approach, TRL, development plan, milestones, budget
- •Certificate of Incorporation, DPIIT recognition or Udyam certificate; shareholding pattern
- •Team CVs and prior defence or deep-tech work
- •Cost estimate with the applicant's matching contribution identified
- •Existing IP, test data and any prior trials
- •Declaration of other government funding for the same project
Questions founders ask about the Open Challenge
DISC gives you a problem statement from the Services; the Open Challenge lets you propose your own. Grant terms are the same SPARK framework.
iDEX expects the applicant to co-fund part of the development cost. The proportion is set in the challenge guidelines and is a real cash or in-kind commitment.
Not automatically, but iDEX winners have a defined procurement pathway, and Open Challenge winners are frequently fast-tracked to PRIME or to Service trials that precede orders.
Rounds have run alongside DISC editions. The iDEX challenges page announces them; the 2026 round closed on 30 June 2026.