Nordic alliance seeks to turn civilian innovation into a defence asset

Five Nordic countries have joined forces to establish a new defence-focused network bringing together research and technology organisations, more than 10,000 engineers and hundreds of test facilities.

The alliance, known as RTO4DEF, aims to turn Nordic and Baltic civilian technological capacity into a more accessible and coordinated defence resource for both the Nordic region and NATO, according to the participating organisations.

The initiative reflects a geopolitical environment that demands faster action, closer cooperation among allies and greater security of supply.

Until now, the armed forces of the Nordic and Baltic countries have lacked a systematic mechanism for linking shared defence requirements directly with civilian innovation, research expertise and testing capabilities. RTO4DEF is intended to close that gap.

- With RTO4DEF, both defence organisations and industry gain access to a much broader portfolio of technological expertise than is available within any single country, said Juan Farré of the Danish Technological Institute. 

- This creates new opportunities to accelerate the transfer of critical technologies from laboratories and workshops to operational units.

Alexandra Bech Gjørv, chief executive of Norway’s SINTEF, said Europe’s security increasingly depends on how effectively civilian innovation can be connected with defence requirements.

- Through RTO4DEF, we are establishing a stronger and more coordinated platform to mobilise research-based expertise, infrastructure and industrial cooperation to address pressing security challenges, she said.

The alliance comprises the Danish Technological Institute (Denmark), Metrosert (Estonia), RISE (Sweden), SINTEF (Norway) and VTT (Finland).