Haryana Launches “DRONOTHON – Haryana Drone Innovation Challenge” to Connect Universities with Real-World Industry Problems

Chandigarh, 3 September - In a major initiative aimed at positioning Haryana as a hub for drone innovation, indigenous technology development, advanced manufacturing and youth-led entrepreneurship, Startup Haryana, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Haryana, and Drone Tech Multi-State Cooperative Society Limited announced the launch of “DRONOTHON – Haryana Drone Innovation Challenge.”

The initiative was discussed during a high-level drone industry consultation held at Haryana Niwas, Chandigarh, chaired by Dr. Amit Agrawal, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary, Industries department Haryana. Representatives from leading drone manufacturers, technology companies, training organisations, incubators, and other key stakeholders from the drone ecosystem attended the meeting.

*Startup Haryana Incubators to Take Dronothon to University Campuses*

A key feature of DRONOTHON will be its statewide university outreach through the Startup Haryana incubation ecosystem. The programme will reach universities and higher educational institutions through Startup Haryana-empanelled incubators, including Startup Stairs, led by Dr. Preet Sandhu, and SAAC, led by Vineet Khurana, among other participating incubators. These incubators will serve as an important bridge between Startup Haryana, industry and university innovators, facilitating campus outreach, identification of student teams, mentorship, innovation challenges, evaluation and incubation support. The objective is to create a decentralized innovation network where universities from different parts of Haryana can participate in DRONOTHON and gain access to real-world industry challenges.

*DRONOTHON: Industry Problems to Become University Innovation Challenges*

The central idea behind DRONOTHON is to create a direct bridge between industry requirements and Haryana’s academic and innovation ecosystem. Under the initiative, industries will be invited to submit real-world problem statements and technology challenges. Universities, engineering colleges, researchers, faculty members, students and innovators across Haryana will then be invited to develop practical, scalable and commercially viable solutions to these challenges.

*Towards Making Haryana A Drone Innovation & Manufacturing Hub*

DRONOTHON is envisioned as more than a one-time competition. The larger objective is to create a sustained innovation pipeline for Haryana’s drone and emerging-technology ecosystem, encouraging: Indigenous Innovation | R&D | Prototyping | Intellectual Property | Startup Creation | Manufacturing | Industry Adoption | Investment | Employment. By bringing established drone companies together with universities, incubators, researchers and young innovators, the initiative aims to enable Haryana to emerge as an important destination for drone innovation, manufacturing, skill development, research and entrepreneurship.

*Universities across Haryana to Be Invited*

DRONOTHON is proposed as a statewide university innovation programme, with universities and higher educational institutions across Haryana being invited to participate. Universities will be encouraged to constitute multidisciplinary teams involving students, faculty members, researchers and innovators. Each team will have the opportunity to work on specific problem statements identified by participating industries and other relevant stakeholders. The initiative will enable Haryana’s students to move beyond theoretical academic projects and work on actual problems with identifiable industry, commercial or government applications.

*Industry to Mentor Young Innovators*

A significant feature of DRONOTHON will be the direct involvement of industry throughout the innovation cycle. Participating drone manufacturers and technology companies will not only identify challenges but will also be encouraged to provide technical mentorship, domain expertise and practical industry inputs to participating university teams. The objective is to ensure that innovations emerging from DRONOTHON are aligned with actual market requirements, technological feasibility, commercial viability and deployment opportunities.

Selected solutions may subsequently be considered for Proof of Concept (PoC), field trials, incubation, industry mentorship, investment facilitation and commercialisation, subject to applicable programme guidelines and evaluation.

*Key Challenge Areas*

Industry problem statements under DRONOTHON may cover emerging drone applications including: Agriculture spraying and precision agriculture, Drone-based mapping and surveying, Roads, highways and bridge inspection, Infrastructure monitoring, Logistics and last-mile delivery, Industrial inspection, Disaster management and emergency response, Public safety and surveillance, 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 and anti-drone technologies, Healthcare and emergency logistics, Smart-city applications, Mining and natural-resource monitoring, Advanced manufacturing and emerging drone technologies.