DRDO offers free access to its 450 patents

The Defense Research and Defense Organization has allowed free access to its 450 patents. The organization intends to provide a boost to domestic industries, especially startups and the strategic sector that has a network of 50 national laboratories that are involved in research and development

Highlights

The DRDO operating under the Ministry of Defence will offer complete access to its patents without charging royalty fees or licensing fees. It includes all the technologies related to life sciences, missiles, naval systems, electronics and communications, combat engineering, aeronautics.

Following DRDO, other R&D bodies like CSIR (Council of Scientific Industrial Research), ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), NRDC (National Research and Development Corporation) and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) will also portfolio their patents. However, they would charge licensing fees and royalty.

DRDO Industry Synergy Summit

As a part of the new ToT policy of zero loyalty, a one-day DRDO-Industry Synergy Summit is to be scheduled. The summit will discuss the required policy frameworks to be created to increase the success rates of its implementation. Also, discussions on high technology collaborations and defence manufacturing will be held.

Significance

The step is a great welcome to startups, industries and entrepreneurs. Also, this is the second time DRDO is offering such free access to its patents. Initially it happened for the first time in 2000 when Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was the principal scientific advisor. However, the access was restricted to CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) members alone.

The move will also support Make in India, Transfer of Technology policy and Domestic Production Policy that boosts domestic industries. Also, it will help India achieve the defense production target of Rs 90,000 crore set for the year 2019-20.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2019