To fortify digital identity infrastructure, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced the Scheme for Innovation and Technology Association with Aadhaar (SITAA). This initiative aims to foster collaboration among startups, academia, and industry, thereby bolstering India’s ID Tech ecosystem. SITAA’s core objectives include driving innovation, promoting indigenous solutions, and co-developing advanced digital identity technologies ready for the future.
SITAA intends to catalyze collaboration, enabling the innovation ecosystem to develop secure and scalable solutions that meet global benchmarks in the digital identity space. Focus areas include biometric devices, authentication frameworks, data privacy, artificial intelligence, and secure identity applications, among others.
The SITAA scheme reflects India’s commitment to a secure, inclusive, and self-reliant digital identity ecosystem, opening new avenues for innovators and researchers while reinforcing trust in digital services. As initial strategic partners, MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) and NASSCOM have signed MoUs with UIDAI. MSH offers technical mentoring, incubation, and accelerator support, while NASSCOM provides industry connections, global outreach, and entrepreneurial support.
Aligned with national priorities like Atmanirbhar Bharat and Digital Public Infrastructure, the SITAA program ensures a robust pipeline of secure, scalable, and future-proof identity solutions. The program will commence with a pilot phase, presenting specific challenges tailored for academic institutions, startups, and industry partners. Eligible entities with innovative solutions are encouraged to apply, with applications open until November 15th, 2025.
The SITAA Pilot challenges include:
Face Liveness Detection: Seeking SDKs for face-liveness detection employing passive and active methods. Solutions must prevent spoofing attacks, function across UIDAI systems, maintain robustness across demographics and devices, support edge and server deployment, and minimize user friction.
Presentation Attack Detection: Inviting academic and research institutions to develop advanced AI/ML-driven Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) solutions to enhance Aadhaar’s face-based authentication. Solutions must accurately detect attacks, remain privacy-compliant and scalable, and support real-time detection.
Contactless Fingerprint Authentication: Seeking SDKs for Contactless Fingerprint Authentication via smartphone cameras or low-cost imaging devices. Solutions must capture high-quality images, perform quality checks, detect liveness, generate AFIS-compliant fingerprint templates, and operate efficiently on edge devices.
The SITAA pilot offers innovators a platform to transform ideas into practical solutions that enhance the security and efficiency of India’s digital identity framework. By fostering cutting-edge research, the program positions India as a leader in global identity innovation. Startups, academic institutions, and industry partners can contribute to a future-ready, self-reliant digital identity ecosystem.
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