The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced the Scheme for Innovation and Technology Association with Aadhaar (SITAA), a pioneering initiative to strengthen India’s digital identity landscape through innovation, collaboration, and indigenization.

The programme aims to empower startups, academic institutions, and industry players to co-develop secure, scalable, and globally benchmarked identity-tech solutions. Focus areas include biometric devices, AI-driven authentication frameworks, data privacy, and advanced security technologies. Through SITAA, UIDAI seeks to reinforce public trust in digital identity systems while positioning India as a global leader in secure identity innovation.

Strategic partnerships with the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) and NASSCOM will provide participants with technical mentorship, incubation, and industry linkages. The pilot programme, open for applications until 15 November 2025, features three key challenges; Face Liveness Detection, Presentation Attack Detection, and Contactless Fingerprint Authentication encouraging solutions that combine robustness, privacy, and user convenience.

SITAA underscores India’s commitment to building a secure, inclusive, and self-reliant digital identity framework, aligned with the vision of Digital Public Infrastructure and Atmanirbhar Bharat.