NIDAR 2.0 (National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research) is a government-led competition aimed at fostering indigenous drone technology in India. Launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India (DFI), the challenge encourages students to move beyond basic drone operation and focus on creating core “drone intelligence” using local hardware.

Key Features of NIDAR 2.0

• Indigenous “Brain”: The challenge centers on using the VEGA processor—an Indian-made chip based on open-standard RISC-V architecture—to power drone flight controllers and autopilots.
• SwaYaan Initiative: NIDAR 2.0 is a flagship component of the SwaYaan initiative, a national capacity-building program designed to train human resources in drone and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
• Two-Track Competition: The challenge is divided into:
  • Drone Innovation Track: Focuses on autonomous systems like swarm drones for disaster response and GPS-denied navigation for industrial inspections.
  • Component Innovation Track: Focuses on building indigenous flight controllers and autopilots using the VEGA processor.
• Hardware Support: To encourage development, the top 100 teams selected after a technical evaluation will each be provided with two VEGA processor kits for prototyping and testing.
• Substantial Prize Pool: The initiative offers a total prize pool exceeding ₹65 lakh to incentivize high-quality student innovation.
• Commercialization Path: Beyond cash prizes, winners receive startup incubation support, corporate internships, and cloud computing credits to help transform their technical prototypes into viable commercial products.
• Strategic Self-Reliance: By utilizing domestic chips, the program seeks to reduce India’s dependence on foreign chip designs and expensive licensing costs, supporting the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Dual-Use Potential: The drone technologies developed—such as autonomous navigation and swarm intelligence—have significant applications in both the civilian and defense sectors.
• Building on Proven Success: The challenge follows a successful inaugural edition (2025-26) which engaged over 3,400 students across 22 states and 4 Union Territories.
• Collaborative Ecosystem: The program operates through a Hub-and-Spoke model involving 30 premier institutions (including IISc, IITs, and C-DAC) to connect young innovators with government, academia, and industry leaders.