KOCHI: Kerala’s ambitious push into the country’s defence innovation space is gaining traction, less than a year after the state quietly launched the Kerala Defence Innovation Zone (K-DIZ).
Conceived as a single collaborative platform for startups, academia, industry, and defence stakeholders , K-DIZ is now moving into high gear — building connections, funding pipelines, and strategic partnerships aimed at making Kerala a serious player in India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat drive for self-reliant defence manufacturing.
Jointly driven by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Technopark, K-DIZ operates under the planned Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Defence & Aerospace at Technopark Phase IV (Technocity), Thiruvananthapuram. Its mission is to bridge the gap between innovators and the armed forces by enabling a sharper understanding of operational needs and turning that insight into deployable solutions.
“With a strong digital infrastructure, a thriving startup ecosystem, robust R&D capabilities, institutional support, and a rich talent pool, Kerala is well-positioned to emerge as a hub for defence innovation. The Kerala Defence Innovation Zone is more than an initiative; it is a strategic movement to channel the state’s technological capabilities towards national security,” said Col Sanjeev Nair (Retd), CEO of Technopark.
He added that the decentralised model will allow K-DIZ to plug seamlessly into national defence innovation programmes while keeping grassroots engagement alive across Kerala’s tech ecosystem.
Crucially, K-DIZ provides Kerala startups direct access to national-level innovation platforms such as the Technology Development Fund (TDF) and iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence), which offer funding and support for priority defence R&D. It draws on Kerala’s established technology hubs — Technopark, Infopark, and Cyberpark — along with players like KELTRON, MSMEs, and defence/industrial parks, while linking them to entities such as KSPACE (Kerala Space Park) and ISRO/BATL. Early standouts include EyeRov Technologies, Silverstreak Techscape, Navalt Solar & Electric Boats, and Prophaze in fields ranging from robotics to cybersecurity. Grassroots innovation is also on the radar, with CET Thiruvananthapuram’s Jayesh Natarajan securing a patent for a “twin magazine rifle” prototype.