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NASSCOM-ISPA ROUNDTABLE ON SPACETECH ECOSYSTEM
NASSCOM-ISPA ROUNDTABLE ON SPACETECH ECOSYSTEM

May 3, 2024

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Background

In recent years, the government has taken considerable steps to enable the participation of non-government entities (NGEs) in India’s space sector. For instance, in 2023, India announced its Space Policy to facilitate the participation of NGEs in carrying out end-to-end activities in the space domain. Similarly, the amended foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for space sector was recently notified to provide investment opportunities for entities in the sector.

Keeping these recent developments in view, nasscom, in partnership with Indian Space Association (ISpA), organised a closed-door roundtable on April 20, 2024, to gather insight into the challenges faced by start-ups in SpaceTech ecosystem. The roundtable saw participation of diverse representatives from industry, legal fraternity, academia, and government.

Discussion points in the roundtable:

  • IN-SPACe Seed Fund Scheme: The scheme provides financial support to start-ups in the space sector. However, to avail any funds through this scheme, the investments in the start-up at the time of application must at least match the grant that is requested. This requirement places burden on nascent start-ups, who then are required to secure funding from other sources, oftentimes in the form of debt, to subsequently avail any funds through IN-SPACe.

  • Testing Facilities: The mechanisms currently in place for providing access to testing infrastructure across different government and military facilities are underdeveloped. As a result, conducting testing and validation of products in the sector becomes a cumbersome process.

  • Drawn-out Procurement Process: At present, the process of procurement is not completed in a time-bound manner, which introduces uncertainty in the operations of start-ups.

  • Need for standards: Prescribing adequate standards for activities in the space sector would provide certainty in the design and manufacturing process. Standards are also useful for improving the safety, quality, and operability of products and services in the sector. This is already being undertaken by the Bureau of Indian Standards are IN-SPACe. Start-ups felt that there is a need to streamline the process of consultation with the industry during standard-setting.

  • Certifying Authorities: Efforts should be made to notify a certifying authority for validating compliance with standards. Further, establishing mechanisms to enable the participation and recognition of private third-party entities as certifying authorities should be prioritised.

We continue to engage with stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of the issues in the space sector. If this topic is of interest to you, kindly write to us at dhananjay@nasscom.in and garima@nasscom.in, with a copy to policy@nasscom.in.


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Dhananjay Sharma
Senior Associate

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