The question of how to increase the pace of innovation within the defence sector recurs frequently in public debate. Several stakeholders point to the need for faster processes, better coordination, and fewer barriers between government agencies, industry, and research.
Against this backdrop, Försvarsdagen 2026 (Defence Day 2026) is being organised, bringing together stakeholders from across the Nordic defence and innovation ecosystem to discuss how development can be accelerated. The initiative is organised by Amyna, Ideon Science Park's platform for defence innovation in Lund (southern Sweden).
The aim of the day is to create a meeting place where representatives from armed forces, government agencies, industry, startups, academia, and decision-makers can discuss how the gap between needs and solutions can be narrowed. Discussions will cover topics including how bottlenecks in the system can be identified, how collaborations can become more effective, and how processes for testing, procurement, and implementation can be accelerated.
Försvarsdagen is conceived as a working arena rather than a traditional conference. The programme consists of sessions and facilitated roundtable discussions in which participants address challenges in defence innovation. The ambition is also to identify best practices and solutions, from other countries or organisations for example, that can be replicated and implemented within 6 to 9 months.
Among the planned themes are the path from pilot project to commercial agreement, fragmentation within the Nordic innovation system, how faster innovation loops can be created, and financing for startups and scaleups in the defence sector. Questions relating to industrial collaboration, the development of space capabilities, and Nordic test infrastructure and testbeds will also be addressed.
During the day, startups will also have the opportunity to present their solutions, with the ambition that discussions will lead to concrete collaborations and the next steps in developing new capabilities.
The event is aimed at stakeholders from across the defence ecosystem, including defence and security agencies, armed forces and procuring organisations, systems integrators, large industrial companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and policy leads and decision-makers.
Amyna, which is behind the event, is Ideon Science Park's platform for defence innovation. The platform works to strengthen collaboration between civilian and military stakeholders, contribute to shorter innovation cycles, and develop a more cohesive Nordic ecosystem for defence innovation.
Expressions of interest for Försvarsdagen 2026 can be submitted at: https://forsvarsdagen-2026.confetti.events/