Defence Minister Launches IIT Kanpur's USD 1 Billion Fundraising Campaign as Institute Plans Defence Drone Hub

Key facts

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched IIT Kanpur's 'Greater Than Us' fundraising campaign at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, targeting USD 1 billion by March 2029, the largest fundraising campaign by any IIT.
• Rs 4,155 crore, nearly half of the target, has already been committed by alumni, donors, corporate partners and the government.
• IIT Kanpur is working with the Ministry of Defence to set up a major drone hub focused on defence applications, aimed at indigenising critical drone components currently imported.
• IIT Kanpur is also working on defence technologies including cybersecurity, stealth materials and quantum sensing, with quantum magnetometers potentially able to detect submarine movements.
• The institute has identified seven strategic areas for campaign support: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, drones, medical technology, sustainable technologies, quantum technologies and semiconductors.
• The government has approved the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Scheme to catalyse private-sector investment in research and advanced technologies.
• Singh highlighted IIT Kanpur's DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence and welcomed the proposal to establish a School of Defence Technologies at the institute.