The National Defence Technology Centre

WE'RE NOT GETTING STARTED... ….Danish entities have been at it for years. Europe is indeed shifting gears. But Danish accomplishments in the framework of the European Defence Fund (EDF) already reflect a mature ecosystem of universities, technological institutes and industry in full process of advancing themselves, refining their ideas and pushing for further integration in Europe. Since 2018, Danish industry and universities have participated in a total of 57 EDF-projects with a combined estimated cost of €1.5 billion. NFC partners alone participated in 23 projects — accounting for 40 percent of all Danish EDF projects. There is every reason to be proud of the influence of the Danish R&D community in Europe – no less Aalborg Universitet, which is currently the fourth-largest university recipient of EDF funding in all of Europe. Also, Teknologisk Institut securing grants to coordinate three research-focused EDF projects in 2024 quadrupling the number of coordinating roles for Danish entities. However….. While the number of projects has remained steady at about 10–12 per year, the estimated cost of projects increased in 2021 but has nearly halved since. Strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, and national authorities is critical to unlocking the full potential of the defence innovation ecosystem. Participation in large-scale European research consortia will only enhance access to funding, networks, and technological know-how. A firm political strategy is needed. We don’t have to remain the small fish in the big pond of Europe. Thank you to DI Forsvar og Sikkerhed/DI Danish Defence and Security Industries and Joachim Finkielman - and the Royal Danish Navy for hosting aboard the ocean patrol frigate HDMS Thetis in Aarhus – for a great gathering and billboard display of Danish R&D capabilities across academia and industry in front of dozens of European journalists. #TeamDenmark

GENKOMSTEN AF NØRREJYLLAND SOM CENTER FOR ARKTISK OVERVÅGNING? Historisk har det nørrejyske område fungeret som trædesten mod nord – den grønlandske handel, Aalborg Lufthavn og værftsindustrien. Det har også medvirket til at skabe verdensledende kompetencer med en skov af teknologisk skarpe firmaer inden for det maritime område, kommunikation og senest satellitområdet.   Det får fornyede implikationer nu med den skærpede geopolitiske kommunikation. Aalborg bliver center for Forsvarets nye arktiske overvågningsdroner og etableringen af nyt satellitprogram. Og denne uge skal der tages stilling til nye arktiske fregatter som del af 1. eskadre med hjemsted i Frederikshavn Kommune.   Alt det stiller fornyede krav til netværk, digitalisering og IT-integration. Heldigvis har vi verdensledende danske kompetencer, der kan bistå Forsvaret i den opbygning, og en ganske stærk og sammenhængende klynge i strækningen fra Aarhus til Frederikshavn. Det var nogle af temaerne, da Nationalt Forsvarsteknologisk Center torsdag den 26. juni samlede ”nørrejyske” aktører fra forsvar, industri, forskning og politik til en eftermiddag, hvor rumteknologi og maritim overvågning var omdrejningspunkt. Arrangementet satte spot på de strategiske muligheder i samspillet mellem satellitter, langtrækkende droner og kommende flådefartøjer samt deres indspil i arktisk og maritim overvågning. Diskussionerne kredsede om, hvordan Danmark kan udnytte eksisterende teknologiske og vidensmæssige styrker til at skabe operationelle løsninger til fordel for sikkerhed og økonomi.   Oplægsholderne bidrog med skarpe perspektiver på: - Hvordan vi kan forbinde rumteknologi med maritime kapaciteter. - Behovet for tættere samarbejde mellem forsvar, industri og forskning. - Vigtigheden af at udvikle en dansk forsvarsindustri med afsæt i vores videnssamfund. - Hvordan teknologisk suverænitet og innovation kan styrkes gennem fælles platforme.   Stor tak til alle fremmødte, og en særlig tak til: • Lars Hedemark, Flyvestation Aalborg • Bjarne Laustsen, MF, Socialdemokratiet • Troels Severinsen, Naval Team Denmark • Carsten Drachmann, GomSpace • Preben Mogensen, Aalborg Universitet

KLAR TIL AFGANG TIL #FM25! Vi glæder os til at se alle jer gode venner, partnere, samarbejdsfæller og ligesindede på Bornholm de kommende dage! Vi håber, I vil kigge forbi de forskellige arrangementer, som vi er en del af. Her er et udpluk: TORSDAG: Kl. 14.30 - 15.15 hos Aarhus Universitet (H6): Lars Bo Larsen deltager i panelet med Peer Heldgaard Kristensen, Kristian Thorn, Malene Stidsen og Nikolaj Juncher Wædegaard om “Cybertruslen mod Danmark - forskning, handling og håb”. https://lnkd.in/dfaziPHe Kl. 15.45 - 16.30 på Forsvarets skib, Hjortø (H12): Marwa Hassan modererer debatten "Soldater søges til et forsvar i forandring - men hvordan?" med Rasmus Larsen, Jeppe Søndergaard Pedersen, Jesper Korsgaard Hansen, Lise Frehr Nielsen og Andreas Graae. https://lnkd.in/eipg53T5 Kl. 16.00 - 17.45 hos Akademiet for de Tekniske Videnskaber i Røgeriets debattelt (F12): Lars Bo Larsen sidder i panelet med Christina Melander, Lia Leffland, Matilde Frederiksen, Peter Grønlund Holm og Sissel Ladegaard under overskriften “Hvad betyder den globale teknologikonkurrence for danskerne?” https://lnkd.in/dw7YXcnC FREDAG: Kl. 09.00 - 10.45 på Forsvarets scene (F15): Lars Bo Larsen debatterer “Forsvar, forskning og forretning” med Rasmus Larsen, Sune Dowler Nygaard, Claus Andersen og Thomas Elkjer Nissen - modereret af Jeppe T. Jacobsen. Debatten er efterfulgt af åbent netværksevent. https://lnkd.in/dprDpmBX Kl. 14.00 - 14.30 hos Politiken (N13): Jeppe T. Jacobsen debatterer “Fremtidens krig: Hvad skal Danmark forberede sig på?” med Michael A. Jarlner, Andreas Graae og Iben Yde. https://lnkd.in/deMyZhW9 Kl. 15.00 - 16.00 hos Forsvaret (F16): Lars Bo Larsen i debat om “Forsvaret 2.0: AI, droner og data” med Kenneth Pedersen, Joachim Finkielman, Daniel Møller Ølgaard og Iben Yde.   https://lnkd.in/dq6_vi4s Kl. 15.00 - 16.00 hos Business Region Aarhus på Brandstationen (D4): Jeppe T. Jacobsen i debat om “Skal Østjylland redde os fra Rusland?” med Peer Heldgaard Kristensen, Ole Vind, Steen Lynenskjold og Nikolaj Bramsen - modereret af Cecilie Beck Lassen. https://lnkd.in/dS3k9uz2 LØRDAG Kl. 11.00 - 11.45 hos Danske Tech Startups // Danish Tech Startups 🇩🇰 🚀 (G6): Lars Bo Larsen sidder i panel om “Kan krig og krise inspirere til nye sundhedsløsninger i Danmark?” med bl.a. Søren Hjortshøj og Martin Vesterby. Kl. 14.15 - 15.15 hos Aarhus Universitet i Allinge Havn (H6): Jeppe T. Jacobsen er moderator på debat om “Sikkerhedstruslen til havs – løsninger og strategier” med panelisterne Mette Stab-Johansen, Christian Friis, Glenda Napier, Jakob Tougaard og Daniel E. Lucani Rötter. https://lnkd.in/dxCNmwib Vel mødt! #FM25 #Folkemøde25

DASCENT 2025: DANISH STUDENT CONFERENCE FOR ENGINEERING & NAVAL TECHNOLOGIES The NFC is proud supporter of the annual student event DaSCENT 2025 at the Forsvarsakademiet on June 16-18. Under the theme “Cyber Warfare, Drones, Ethics & Automation: The Complexity of Modern Warfare” several specialists from Center for Naval Technology, Raytheon, MyDefence and AAU Defence - Aalborg University will be presenting and offering breakout discussions and networking opportunities. Participation is free for students. Get your registration and program here: https://lnkd.in/exfAEjNJ For further question, please write dascent@fak.dk.

DAY 2 at NATO #NOICE2025 🇩🇰 focuses on open innovation. The National Defence Technology Centre is helping bring the spotlight on universities, RTOs, startups, and scale-ups. They are showcasing some of Denmark’s most innovative tech solutions. From AI, autonomy, cybersecurity, maritime surveillance, to wound care, it’s exciting to see how Danish innovation is contributing to the future of NATO’s operational edge. Huge thanks to the organizers at NATO, our partners CenSec - Center for Defence, Space & Security -and Danish Defence Innovation Unit, participants, and visitors for the energy and collaboration— and we’re just getting started! Lars Bo Larsen Nicholas Hawtin, Roberto Galeazzi, Ole Kværnø, Jens Myrup Pedersen, Peter Sperling, Glysious ,Tordenskjold , LIITA Care Campfire Security #NATO #NOICE2025 #Innovation #DefenseTech #DanishTech #Startups #Collaboration

KVANTE-TEKNOLOGIENS UBESKRIVELIGE POTENTIALE BANKER PÅ Tak til alle deltagere ved torsdagens housewarming i vores nye lokaler på Aalborg Universitet med udsigt over havnefronten i Sydhavnen. Ikke mindst tak til oplægsholderne Natasha Friis Saxberg, direktør i IT-Branchen og vice-chair i Danish Quantum Community samt professor Joachim Mathiesen, leder af Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. De to inspirerende oplæg om kvanteteknologiens fremskridt på dansk jord og perspektiver for snart sagt alle dele af samfundet var direkte gribende. Som Natasha sagde er der et stort behov for yderligere investeringer for at fastholde danske styrkepositioner inden for kvanteteknologien. Vi kan ikke bare hægte os på - vi skal være i front og udvikle det. Der er heldigvis massiv opbakning til kvanteteknologi i Danmark fra alle k(v)anter. Regeringen lancerede i 2023 en national strategi med over 1 milliard kroner afsat til udviklingen af kvanteknologi frem mod 2027. Den ambitiøse satsning skal sikre, at dansk kvanteforskning omsættes til praktiske løsninger inden for alt fra sundhedssektoren over klima og miljøløsninger til cybersikkerhed baseret på kvante-teknologi. Vi står stærkt takket være forskning og talentmasse. Det bliver også anerkendt af vores strategiske partnere. NATO har etableret et kvanteteknologisk center i København som en del af DIANA-programmet (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), som fokuserer på udvikling og test af kvantebaserede løsninger inden for områder som sikker kommunikation, præcis navigation og overvågning Kvanteforskningen bygger på arven fra Niels Bohr, og danske universiteter uddanner forholdsmæssigt flest kvantespecialister i verden. Der er tæt tværfagligt samarbejde mellem fysikere, ingeniører, dataloger og andre faggrupper, understøttet af vidensnetværk og erhvervslivet. Det handler om Danmarks førerposition globalt. God weekend til alle!

THIS IS HOW WE MAKE CHANGE THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION!   And this is what collaborative determination looks like in practice:   57 participating innovators, 16 registered projects, 10 mentors, 5 judges and dozens of defence officials, investors, sponsors, guests, volunteers and journalists.   Bringing spheres of government, Armed Forces, industry and academia together usually requires you to walk down a long yet ultimately rewarding process.   Last weekend shows us just how determined and skilled tech-minds can help speed it all up. Especially when the overarching purpose is as urgent as it is rewarding 🇺🇦   Being able to speed up technological innovation is perhaps the single most important requisite of executing on the European Commission’s white paper Readiness 2023 stating that: “By attracting new players and supporting investments in disruptive innovations and by learning from the battlefield experiences of the Ukrainian defence industry, Europe will better able to deter adversaries”.   This critical vision is exactly what the EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2025 was all about.     The jury in Copenhagen recognized the high level of professionalism and true innovativeness in all contributions.   Now we begin transforming concepts in to operational reality in the field potentially saving lives as jury member major Martin Veirum from Danish Defence Command put it Sunday evening in the news broadcast on TV 2 Danmark covering the Hackathon.   As the local organizers The National Defence Technology Centre DI Forsvar og Sikkerhed/DI Danish Defence and Security Industries and CenSec - Center for Defence, Space & Security are proud of our small part in bringing all of you together.   Of course, we could not have done it without our sponsors from EIFO, Innovationsfonden, Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse, Normark Defence, Sky-Watch A/S and GomSpace.

After an intense and inspiring weekend at the EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2025 in Copenhagen, the jury was impressed by what could be build in just a weekend. From concept to prototype, the winning team, BFT Frontier, developed a tracker to identify friendly drones on the battlefield, minimizing risk of friendly fire and increasing operating hours. Congratulations to the winners! 🏆 The National Defence Technology Centre is proud to host this hackathon together with DI Forsvar og Sikkerhed/DI Danish Defence and Security Industries, and CenSec - Center for Defence, Space & Security strengthening ties between academia and industry as well as the Armed Forces. Bringing together key actors from the defence eco system is beneficial to both students, mentors, Defence and funds. Now the hard begins, transforming to ideas to operational solutions. A particular mention to our sponsors for making this event a success: EIFO, Innovationsfonden, Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse, Normark Defence, Sky-Watch A/S and GomSpace

What an exciting and learningful day at the EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2025 in Copenhagen. 10 teams with creative and innovative ideas received feedback from our experienced and knowledgeable mentors.   Mentor, Michael Haas from Austria says: “I’m considering setting up my next company in Denmark and wanted to get a better sense of the Danish ecosystem as well as build my network here. Not only did I enjoy the hacking, I also had a series of great conversations with mentors.”   Another mentor, Liza Babaieva, from Ukraine adds: “As an Ukrainian involved in both Denmark’s eco-system and its defence sector, I see this event as a brilliant opportunity to participate. Events like this are exactly what we need. It’s time to outsmart the enemy and hackathons are a powerful way to start.”   Another mentor, Major Martin Veirum, from Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse (DALO) says: “It’s a unique possibility for us to look into a variety of possible innovative solutions on current Ukrainian operational challenges and thereby also of huge interest for the Danish Armed Forces. “   A huge thanks to Michael, Liza and Martin and the rest of our mentors: Rikke Dalsgaard Claus Albjerg Peter Stensgaard Hansen Martin Nørbjerg Morten Berg Arnoldus Hasse Bülow Pedersen Kian Bostani Nezhad Jesper Hart-Hansen   A particular mention to our sponsor for making this event a success: EIFO, Innovationsfonden, Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse, Normark Defence, Sky-Watch A/S and GomSpace

Today, we kicked off the EUDIS hackathon 2025. The first key note speech was given by EU Comissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubillius, who emphasized the need for innovative solutions to counter the challenges of today and tomorrow. The speech was followed by a presentation of first-hand experiences from the frontlines of Ukraine by Major General (ret.) Havrylov, former Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine. With those words, the participants will over the course of the weekend be working to solve the challenges which Ukrainian forces face on the front line. The hacking is on! Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this event EIFO, Innovationsfonden, Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse, GomSpace, Normark Defence and Sky-Watch A/S