The inaugural NATO Open Innovation Conference & Expo concluded in Troia, Portugal this week. Close to two-hundred participants from NATO allied and partner countries, including representatives from Ukraine, discussed innovation and exchanged best practices on how to channel innovative ideas into tangible results.
Exhibitors from the private sector, academia, NATO entities, and National Innovation Units, covering the full spectrum of innovation, presented projects in different stages of development; from concept up to combat proven, from Artificial Intelligence integration to operational tools, immediately deployable or already deployed.
The event format offered a unique opportunity to share best practices, explain failures and how to overcome them, present different solutions to similar problems, and to collect constructive criticism.
The workshops allowed innovators to refine their skills, get acquainted with new ideas, trigger alternative thinking, and foster the networking with collaborative exercises.
In his opening remarks, the Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Navy underlined the importance of innovation in the current environment, appreciating the conference location being in Troia, the hub of Portuguese Navy testing.
According to Vice Admiral Jeff Hughes, Allied Command Transformation’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development, deterrence is NATO’s duty and the current geopolitical reality presents capable competitors in technology innovation. Historically driven by large defence organizations, innovation is now promoted by smaller, more agile civilian entities. This prompts the Alliance, as a whole, to rethink its processes and adapt faster, like Ukraine did since the beginning of the war of aggression from Russia.
Innovators must also learn to translate innovation language into decision-makers language, an aspect that is often overlooked when promoting change into change-averse organizations. When discussing disruption, Vice Admiral Hughes recognized that NATO needs to speed up the delivery process, developing capabilities that can be readily used within the alliance; the focus must shift from outputs to outcomes, embracing the concept of calculated risks.
Brigadier General Thorsten Jorgensen, Allied Command Transformation’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Capability Requirements, challenged the audience to communicate innovation to their leaders in a language they can understand and embrace; while they may not appreciate the technical details behind innovative ideas, they need to know when new products will be available and what these products will accomplish.
An intense two-day event, the inaugural NATO Open Innovation Conference & Expo brought together the largest ever representation of the NATO Innovation Network and leveraged the push for innovation within NATO and within nations, building on the results already accomplished at local level and charting the path for a truly NATO-wide innovation course.
