Haryana has launched “Droneothon – Haryana Drone Innovation Challenge” with the aim of making the state a major hub for drone innovation, indigenous technology, advanced manufacturing, and youth-led entrepreneurship.
The initiative has been launched jointly by the Department of Industries & Commerce, Haryana Government, Startup Haryana and Drone Tech Multi-State Cooperative Society Limited.
A high-level consultation meeting with stakeholders from the drone industry was held at Haryana Niwas in Chandigarh on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by Dr Amit Kumar Agarwal, Commissioner and Secretary, Department of Industries & Commerce.
Representatives of leading drone manufacturers, technology companies, training institutes, incubators and other stakeholders from the drone ecosystem attended the meeting.
One of the key features of Droneothon will be a statewide university outreach programme, under which universities and higher education institutions across Haryana will be encouraged to participate.
Incubators affiliated with Startup Haryana will act as a link between the government, industry and young innovators. They will facilitate campus outreach, identify student teams, provide mentorship and support innovation challenges, evaluation and incubation.
The initiative is aimed at creating a decentralised innovation network that enables students and researchers from institutions across Haryana to work on real-world industrial challenges.
At the heart of Droneothon is the effort to connect industry requirements with the talent and innovation capabilities of Haryana’s universities.
Drone manufacturers and technology companies will submit problem statements based on real-life industrial and technological challenges. These challenges will then be presented to universities, engineering colleges, researchers, faculty members, students and young innovators.
Participating teams will be encouraged to develop solutions that are not only technically feasible but also practical, scalable and commercially viable.
The initiative is being positioned as more than a conventional competition. According to the programme’s vision, Droneothon will create a pathway from innovation and research to prototypes, intellectual property, startups, manufacturing, investment and employment.
Industry participation will continue throughout the innovation process. Drone manufacturers and technology companies will provide participating teams with technical mentorship, domain expertise and practical inputs.
The aim is to ensure that solutions developed through the challenge address genuine market requirements and have potential for real-world deployment.
Selected solutions may subsequently be taken forward for Proof of Concept (PoC) development, field trials, incubation, industry mentorship, investment facilitation and commercialisation, subject to applicable programme guidelines and evaluation.
Problem statements under Droneothon are expected to cover a broad range of drone applications and emerging technologies.
These include agricultural spraying and precision agriculture, mapping and surveying, road and bridge inspection, infrastructure monitoring, logistics and last-mile delivery, industrial inspection, disaster management, emergency response, public safety and surveillance.
The challenge will also explore areas such as artificial intelligence and autonomous drone operations, indigenous drone components, battery and propulsion technologies, drone communication systems, GIS and geospatial technologies, drone data analytics, defence and strategic applications, counter-drone technologies, healthcare and emergency logistics, smart cities, mining, natural-resource monitoring and advanced manufacturing.
By bringing together drone companies, universities, incubators, researchers and young innovators, Droneothon seeks to strengthen the industry-academia ecosystem in the state.
The broader objective is to encourage home-grown drone technologies, support entrepreneurship and research, and create new opportunities in manufacturing, investment, skill development and employment.
