Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in association with Cyber Peace Foundation and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) organised a conference on Cyber Security – Challenges and Innovations at DRDO Bhawan here today. It was inaugurated by Member  NITI Aayog, Dr. V K Saraswat.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Saraswat emphasised to convert a challenge into an opportunity through innovation. He further said that Cyberspace is becoming more complex and we need continuous innovation to keep the space secure and resilient to threats. Indigenous solutions, in-house expertise and startup eco-system needs to be created to reduce dependence on foreign products and solutions for securing our critical infrastructure and defence installations.

National Cyber Security Coordinator Dr Gulshan Rai stressed upon the areas of strategic importance including Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Virtual reality & Augmented reality, Internet of things (IOT) which would be the backbone of the country in future.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO said that cyber security is one of the biggest challenges and emphasised on bringing the academia, industries and DRDO together for indigenous and innovative solutions.

The conference focused on the current trends, need and future requirements of innovation in the field of cyber security for a secured cyber space and will help in understanding the challenges and the way ahead for the country through homegrown technological research and innovation. The conference brought the stakeholders working in the area to showcase their innovations, current challenges and future aspects.

Director General, Air (OPS) Air Marshal Amit Dev was also present at the conference. More than 100 academia and 70 startups participated in the conference. On this occasion, many startups showcased various indigenous innovations in cyber security.