New Delhi, Oct 18: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Friday launched the Scheme for Innovation and Technology Association with Aadhaar (SITAA) to foster collaboration and innovation in India’s digital identity ecosystem.
The initiative aims to bring together startups, academic institutions, and industry partners to develop secure, scalable, and indigenous identity technologies, spanning biometric devices, authentication frameworks, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and identity applications.
Applications for the pilot programme will remain open until November 15, according to an official UIDAI statement.
“The pilot will include initial challenges specifically suitable for academic institutions, startups, and industry partners. All eligible entities providing innovative solutions are encouraged to apply,” the release stated.
Under the programme, strategic partners MeitY Startup Hub and NASSCOM will offer technical mentoring, incubation, accelerator support, industry connections, and global outreach to participants.
The SITAA pilot aligns with India’s national priorities of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Digital Public Infrastructure, aiming to create a pipeline of future ready identity solutions. Key challenges include:
Face Liveness Detection: Development of SDKs to prevent spoofing and enhance Aadhaar’s face-based authentication.
Presentation Attack Detection (PAD): Advanced solutions for strengthening face recognition security.
Contactless Fingerprint Authentication: SDKs using standard smartphone cameras or low-cost imaging devices.
The programme encourages proposals that enhance security, scalability, and innovation across the Aadhaar authentication ecosystem, while supporting homegrown technology solutions in the digital identity sector.