NATO and Ministry of Defence of Ukraine deepen cooperation in innovation

On 28 April 2023, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Volodymyr Havrylov met with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges David van Weel at NATO Headquarters.

The parties discussed further ways of mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of innovation, including the involvement of Ukrainian start-ups in joint innovation projects, testing of modern developments in real combat conditions and the use of Ukrainian experience in the introduction of new weapons and technologies in a short time.

The representative of the Ministry of Defence informed the Alliance about practical steps to create an innovation ecosystem and accelerate the implementation of start-ups in the defence sector with a minimum of bureaucratic procedures, in particular in the development and supply of modern unmanned aerial systems of Ukrainian origin to the troops.

"The innovation ecosystem of the Ministry of Defence should become a part of the large Euro-Atlantic innovation ecosystem," said Volodymyr Havrylov.

The parties agreed to continue dialogue on practical cooperation, including in the context of possible involvement in the activities of the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).

Background

DIANA (NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) was launched at the Brussels Summit in 2021. It aims to apply dual-use commercial technologies for defence and security purposes. It will focus on nine priority emerging and disruptive technologies for NATO: artificial intelligence, data, autonomy, quantum technologies, biotechnology, hypersonics, space, innovative materials and manufacturing.