Technology Development Board Commits Rs 301 Crore in RDI Support to ideaForge and QNu Labs
The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology, extended a combined Rs 301 crore in research and innovation support to two deep-tech firms. The agreement with ideaForge (Mumbai), signed on 14 October 2026, backs YETI, a heavy-lift autonomous aerial logistics vehicle - a hybrid VTOL UAV with a 200 kg payload, 200 km range and a 6,500 metre ceiling - costing Rs 302 crore including Rs 151 crore of debt. The QNu Labs (Bengaluru) agreement of 16 October 2026 supports India's Quantum Secure and Sensing Networks (IQSN), a Rs 300 crore project with Rs 150 crore as optionally convertible debt.
The Technology Development Board was constituted in 1996 under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995, to finance commercialisation of indigenous technology | The National Quantum Mission, approved in April 2023 with an outlay of Rs 6,003.65 crore, runs to 2030-31 under the Department of Science and Technology | VTOL stands for vertical take-off and landing; hybrid VTOL UAVs combine rotor-based lift with fixed-wing cruise efficiency