Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff & CSIR ink MoU on joint R&D in Defence Technology

Current Context: The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was signed on November 23, 2023 in New Delhi.

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for technical collaboration, joint research, and development in the field of defence technology.
• The MoU aims to provide an umbrella framework for initiating collaborative interaction between CSIR Labs, HQ IDS, and Armed Forces, namely the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.
• This collaboration is intended to enhance the scientific understanding of technologies related to defence and undertake joint research and development in dual-use technologies.
• This partnership will also accelerate the indigenisation efforts of the Armed Forces for achieving 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat’.
• The Integrated Defence Staff is the single-point organization for collaboration in the Ministry of Defence, which integrates policy, doctrine, war-fighting, and procurement.

Question:

Q.1 Who signed the MoU for joint R&D in Defence Technology?
a. Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff & CSIR
b. Indian Army & DRDO
c. Indian Navy & ISRO
d. Indian Air Force & HAL