On 21 April 2026, more than 350 representatives from defense, industry, government, academia, startups, investors, and innovation ecosystems gathered in Lund for Defense Day 2026.
Together, we explored one central question:
How do we overcome barriers and strengthen the Nordic defense innovation ecosystem?
Across 21 moderated discussions within seven thematic tracks, participants shared experiences, challenged assumptions, and identified both barriers and opportunities for accelerating innovation, strengthening collaboration, and building future defense capabilities.
The conversations, connections, and ideas generated during Defense Day 2026 have been brought together in the Defense Day 2026 Outcomes & Key Takeaways Report, which summarizes the discussions, recurring themes, and concrete recommendations that emerged throughout the event.
Some of the overarching insights include:
- Fragmentation remains one of the biggest barriers to innovation. Better coordination across organizations, sectors, and national borders is essential.
- Procurement is both the largest bottleneck and one of the strongest levers for change. Participants consistently highlighted the need for more demand-driven procurement and governments acting as active innovation partners.
- Startups and SMEs are critical contributors to future capability development, yet they remain systemically constrained by procurement processes, access to end users, and funding structures.
- Trust, relationships, and collaboration matter just as much as technology. Most of the challenges identified are organizational rather than technical.
Most importantly, the conversations did not end when the event concluded. We are already aware of more than five initiatives and collaborations that have been launched as a direct result of discussions held during Defense Day 2026, demonstrating the value of bringing together the right people around the right topics.
In a series of ‘Defense Day Insights’ we will dive deeper into each of the seven discussion tracks, sharing the key insights, challenges, and recommendations from every session. We hope you will follow along and continue the conversation with us.
DEFENSE DAY INSIGHTS #1:
From Pilots to Signed Deals: Why Great Technology Isn’t Enough
Many promising defense innovations never fail because of the technology.
They fail because they never make it beyond the pilot phase.
During Track 1, participants explored how startups and SMEs can successfully move from pilots to procurement and scale; and what governments, agencies, and large corporations can do differently to support that journey.
Three messages stood out:
- Early and continuous engagement with end users is essential.
- Procurement remains the largest bottleneck for innovation adoption.
- Trust, relationships, and internal champions often determine whether innovation progresses.
Participants also emphasized the importance of governments acting as anchor customers, creating demand and reducing uncertainty for emerging technologies.
The discussion reinforced that moving from pilot to operational capability is not only a technical challenge, it is also equally a question of procurement, collaboration, and culture.
📄 Read the full discussion and recommendations in the Defense Day 2026 report
