NIDAR 2026–27 Drone Innovation Challenge – Win Prizes Worth ₹65 Lakh+

NATIONAL DRONE INNOVATION CHALLENGE | MeitY | SWAYAAN

NIDAR Missions 2026–27

Join the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research and develop advanced autonomous drone systems for rescue, GPS-denied navigation and indigenous flight-control applications.

Total announced prize pool ₹65 Lakh+ Three national-level drone missions

Register on NIDAR →

Official registration: The QR code in the shared flyer opens the official NIDAR website. Participants should register only through the official NIDAR portal.

NIDAR – National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research is organised under the SwaYaan initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in collaboration with the Drone Federation India. The challenge aims to build the next generation of drone innovators and strengthen indigenous drone technology development.

🚁 Challenge area Autonomous Drone Technology

🎯 Number of missions Three Missions

🏆 Prize pool ₹65 Lakh+

🇮🇳 Programme vision Indigenous Drone Innovation

About NIDAR 2026–27

NIDAR 2026–27 challenges student innovators to move beyond basic drone operation and develop advanced autonomous systems, indigenous avionics and core drone components.

The programme combines technical innovation, real-world problem solving, industry mentorship, prototype development and national recognition.

• Develop functional and mission-ready drone solutions.
• Work on autonomous navigation and multi-drone coordination.
• Address real disaster-response and inspection requirements.
• Build indigenous flight-control technology.
• Receive mentorship and exposure from the drone industry.
• Compete for cash prizes and innovation support.

NIDAR Missions 2026–27

Mission 1 RescueSwarm Autonomous Multi-Drone Survivor Search and Aid Delivery

Develop a coordinated autonomous drone swarm capable of searching disaster-affected areas, identifying survivors and delivering critical aid.

• Multi-drone autonomous coordination
• Survivor detection and localisation
• Flooded and semi-urban environments
• Critical-aid or medical-parcel delivery
• Operation without an external communication network

Find survivors. Coordinate autonomously. Deliver critical aid.

Mission 2 AirMouse GPS-Denied Indoor Drone Navigation Challenge

Build an autonomous drone that can navigate confined and unknown indoor environments without depending on GPS.

• GPS-denied autonomous navigation
• Indoor mapping and localisation
• Obstacle detection and avoidance
• Confined-space inspection
• Survivor or target identification

Navigate the unknown. Map the unseen. Operate without GPS.

Mission 3 VEGAPilot Indigenous Drone Autopilot Development

Design and develop an indigenous flight controller and autopilot powered by the Indian-developed VEGA processor.

• VEGA processor-based flight controller
• Indigenous electronic components
• Autopilot firmware development
• Navigation and control algorithms
• Drone integration, testing and validation

Build the brain of an indigenous Indian drone.

Competition Tracks

Track 1: Drone Innovation Teams build autonomous drone systems for the RescueSwarm or AirMouse mission.

Track 2: Component Innovation Teams develop an indigenous VEGA processor-based flight controller and autopilot under the VEGAPilot mission.

After technical evaluation, the top teams selected for the VEGAPilot development stage may receive VEGA processor kits for development, integration and testing, subject to the official rules.

Prizes and Recognition

Total announced prize pool ₹65 Lakh+

Mission-wise and category-wise prize distribution is provided on the official NIDAR prize page. Participants should verify the latest prize structure before applying.

View Official Prize Distribution

Benefits for Participating Teams

🏆 Cash Prizes

Compete for awards from the ₹65 lakh+ prize pool.

🧑‍🏫 Industry Mentorship

Receive guidance from experts in India’s drone ecosystem.

🏢 Incubation Support

Promising solutions may receive startup and incubation support.

☁️ Cloud Credits

Selected teams may receive technical and cloud-resource support.

💼 Internship Opportunities

Winning participants may access corporate internship opportunities.

🇮🇳 National Recognition

Showcase the innovation before national experts and stakeholders.

Who Can Participate?

NIDAR is primarily designed for student innovators and research teams associated with recognised higher-education and research institutions in India.

• Undergraduate students
• Postgraduate students
• Doctoral researchers
• Student innovators working in multidisciplinary teams
• Teams from engineering and technology institutions
• Researchers working on drone and autonomous-system technologies

Relevant Technical Disciplines

• Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering
• Electronics and Communication Engineering
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
• Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
• Robotics, Automation and Control Engineering
• Embedded Systems and Internet of Things

Eligibility note: Team size, academic-status requirements, faculty-mentor conditions and institutional verification must be confirmed from the current official rulebook.

Indicative Competition Process

1 Registration Create the team and select the mission.

2 Verification Institutional and participant details are verified.

3 Technical Evaluation Submit the proposed design and development approach.

4 Prototype Development Build, integrate and test the proposed system.

5 Final Demonstration Demonstrate mission performance before evaluators.

Exact phase names, submission dates, evaluation criteria and final demonstration requirements are available in the official rules and timeline.

How to Register?

1. Visit the official NIDAR website.
2. Read the complete mission statements and competition rules.
3. Form an eligible multidisciplinary student team.
4. Select RescueSwarm, AirMouse or VEGAPilot.
5. Create the team account through the official portal.
6. Enter all participant and institutional details correctly.
7. Add the faculty mentor or institutional contact, where required.
8. Upload the required verification documents.
9. Submit the initial technical concept or proposal.
10. Save the registration confirmation and team-login credentials.

Register on Official Website Read Mission Statements View Rules and Timeline

Important Challenge Details

Challenge name	National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research
Popular name	NIDAR 2026–27 / NIDAR 2.0
Government initiative	SwaYaan
Ministry	Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India
Industry partner	Drone Federation India
Mission 1	RescueSwarm
Mission 2	AirMouse
Mission 3	VEGAPilot
Prize pool	More than ₹65 lakh
Registration website	Official NIDAR Website
Rules and timeline	View Current Rules
Prize details	View Mission-Wise Prizes

NIDAR Missions 2026–27 Flyer

Click the flyer to open the official NIDAR registration website.

Build the Next Generation of Indian Drone Technology

Form your multidisciplinary team, select a mission and begin your NIDAR 2026–27 registration through the official portal.

Register for NIDAR

Disclaimer: Thirai publishes hackathons, innovation challenges, conferences and academic opportunities for informational purposes. Eligibility, team size, mission specifications, prize distribution, phase dates, evaluation procedures and prototype requirements are governed solely by the official NIDAR rulebook. Participants should verify all details through the official NIDAR website before applying.

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