Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, called on India's Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to play a pivotal role in building the country's indigenous defence capabilities, saying that bridging academic research with the operational needs of the armed forces and industry had become a strategic imperative. He made the remarks in New Delhi at the launch of IIT Kanpur's Greater Than Us fundraising campaign, which aims to raise $1 billion by March 2029.

Campaign Already Halfway to Its Target

The Greater Than Us campaign has already secured commitments of ₹4,155 crore — nearly half the stated goal — from alumni, donors, corporate partners, and government sources. The campaign is framed as a national institution-building exercise, not merely a fundraise, with contributions channelled toward research, innovation, and infrastructure at IIT Kanpur.

Why Defence Technology Needs Academia

Singh underscored that emerging technologies — artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, unmanned platforms, advanced sensors, cybersecurity, and space-based technologies — are fundamentally reshaping military dynamics globally. 'In this environment, our ability to develop, adopt, and continuously appraise technology indigenously is of strategic importance. This requires close collaboration among the armed forces, DRDO, academic institutions, defence public sector undertakings, private industry, and startups,' the minister said.

He cited the DRDO Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence at IIT Kanpur as a working model of this inter-institutional approach. Notably, the institute's proposal to establish a School of Defence Technology also drew the minister's explicit endorsement.

National Military Drone Hub Nears Approval

Among the more consequential disclosures, Singh confirmed that a proposal to set up a National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT Kanpur, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, has made significant progress and that its approval process is 'nearing completion.' The hub is intended to fast-track indigenisation and innovation for combat advantage — reflecting a broader push to reduce India's dependence on imported defence platforms.

Singh also highlighted the institute's C3i Cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub and its medical school as significant contributions to cybersecurity and healthcare technology innovation respectively.

IIT Ecosystem and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Vision

Placing the campaign within the government's larger policy narrative, Singh said the Narendra Modi-led government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat commitment sits at the core of its Viksit Bharat vision — building a nation that is not merely a consumer of knowledge and technology but an active contributor to their creation. He pointed to the IIT ecosystem's track record of supporting over 6,000 start-ups, 56 unicorns, and nearly 5,000 patents as evidence of growing institutional depth.

He also referenced the government's approved ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Scheme as a structural lever to catalyse private-sector investment in advanced technologies. 'While public policy can create an enabling environment, institutions must nurture talent and generate ideas, and industry must help translate innovations into practical applications and scale them up,' he said.

What Comes Next

With the drone hub approval reportedly close to finalisation and the School of Defence Technology proposal gaining ministerial backing, IIT Kanpur appears set to become a more direct node in India's defence research architecture. The coming months will test whether institutional ambition and government intent translate into funded, operational programmes — the gap where past defence-academia partnerships have often stalled.