Allied Command Transformation’s Integrated Project Team for the Collaboration with Academia and Industry
A dedicated Allied Command Transformation team is responsible for supporting the Framework for Collaborative Interaction. This team consists of the Office for Collaboration with Academia and Industry and representatives from The Office of the Legal Advisor, the Budget and Finance Office (primarily Purchasing and Contracting), Allied Command Transformation Office of Security and Allied Command Transformation Chief Information Office (and if requested by other functional areas). The team facilitates the initiation of collaborative activities between Allied Command Transformation and Academia or Allied Command Transformation and Industry, located in NATO nations.
The Office for Collaboration with Academia and Industry coordinates collaboration proposals and welcomes suggestions from industry and academia.
Leveraging industry’s & academia’s expertise and Allied Command Transformation’s experience for mutual benefit
Allied Command Transformation is NATO’s Strategic Warfare Development Command. Allied Command Transformation contributes to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading the strategic warfare development of military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines. The Command, consistent with this mission, identifies and promotes the capabilities that are needed to meet future operational needs of the Alliance.
Allied Command Transformation develops concepts leading to the establishment of national military capabilities and provides military advice for the development of the NATO Defence Planning Process – the principal vehicle for the alignment of capability efforts. Allied Command Transformation manages Common-Funded Capability Programmes and delivers management information to Nations for their decisions on critical communication and information services infrastructure and complex capabilities. This includes areas, where technology and knowledge advances fast and interaction with Academia and Industry is imperative.
It is in this light that Allied Command Transformation has developed the Framework For Collaborative Interaction.
What is the Framework For Collaborative Interaction?
The primary aim of the Framework For Collaborative Interaction is to enable collaborative work to be carried out, in non-procurement manner between Allied Command Transformation and academia or Allied Command Transformation and industry. Collaborative interaction leverages the expertise each party brings to Alliance warfare and capability development efforts.
Benefits: For each of the collaborative activities, Allied Command Transformation and industry/academia should both contribute to and benefit from the collaboration. Actions that involve NATO procurement mechanisms lie outside Framework for Collaborative Interaction. Click “Benefits” below to read more on the benefits of the Framework for Collaborative Interaction framework.
Principles: NATO’s interaction with industry is subject to legal as well as contracting rules and principles that prevent the preferential allocation of public funds. Click “Principles” below to read more on the principals in place to protect all collaborative parties involved.
Methods: Collaboration between NATO and Academia & Industry can take place at different levels of commitment. Click “Methods” below to read more on the different methods of interacting through the Framework for Collaborative Interaction.
Framework for Collaborative Interaction Principles
Transparency. The Framework for Collaborative Interaction procedures are openly advertised to prospective collaborative academia and industry in advance of, and during, the collaboration processes. Allied Command Transformation provides academia and industry with timely, accessible and accurate information and must also keep the Nations and other relevant actors informed of the nature and content of the information shared with industry and of the progress of the work being done.
Non-discrimination principle. Companies, universities and think tanks wishing to collaborate with Allied Command Transformation should be treated objectively and without discrimination. European and North-American companies and universities, large and small, should be given the same opportunities and are to be treated in the same way to collaborate with Allied Command Transformation. Non-discrimination refers to Allied Command Transformation’s consideration of opportunities to collaborate, not actual opportunities – that is, companies and universities have an equal chance to propose collaboration, but may not be selected to collaborate if the company’s outputs do not match Allied Command Transformation priorities.
Fairness and openness must be maintained for in case of follow-on competitive procurement. When collaborating with academia and industry on specific warfare or capability development issues, it is Allied Command Transformation’s responsibility to ensure potential future competition for procurement will not be biased toward a specific solution, product, manufacturer or service provider and that no company will be disadvantaged in terms of knowledge and information.
“Costs lie where they fall.” In this respect Allied Command Transformation funding is limited to requirements for appropriate Framework for Collaborative Interaction-related contributions required for NATO entities participating in the specific Framework for Collaborative Interaction activity. Academia and industry need to meet their own costs of participating in Framework for Collaborative Interaction activities.
Collaborating with Allied Command Transformation
TIDESPRINT – TIDE Interoperability Continuum: perennial circle with fall TIDE Sprint, TIDE Hackathon, spring TIDE Sprint and CWIX. TIDE Communities of interest to share, exchange, explore and develop ideas to help the Alliance.
How to become a member of the Tide community
TIDE events and Communities of Interest are a great way for Industry to collaborate with Allied Command Transformation.
Allied Command Transformation Innovation Hub – The Innovation Hub is the community where experts and innovators may collaborate to tackle NATO challenges and design solutions. It is the engine of the Allied Command Transformation Innovation Network, federating national entities leveraging open innovation and agile development.
Innovation Hub (innovationhub-act.org)
Why join the Hub?
The discussions and resources products delivered by the Innovation Hub are available to all of its members. They include:
- Access to a broad community of experts from inside and outside NATO
- An online collaborative platform to interact with the community (password protected)
- A knowledge base of all the topics addressed by the Innovation Hub
- In-house and crowdsourced Agile Solution Development capability
- Innovative solution aiming at meeting NATO and Nations’ future capability challenges
- The opportunity to explain your issues, ask your questions or propose your solutions
NATO Industrial Advisory Group – The NATO Industrial Advisory Group is a high-level consultative and advisory body of senior industrialists of NATO member countries, acting under the Conference of National Armaments Directors, with the aims of:
- Providing a forum for free exchange of views on industrial, technical, economic, management and other relevant aspects of research, development and production of armament equipment within the Alliance; based on current and updated information provided by relevant NATO bodies;
- Providing industry’s advice to the Conference of National Armaments Directors on how to foster government-to-industry and industry-to-industry armaments co-operation within the Alliance;
- Providing optimal use of NATO Industrial Advisory Group resources to assist Main Armaments Groups, and their subordinate bodies, in exploring opportunities for international collaboration, and seeking timely and efficient ways to satisfy NATO military requirements.
Allied Command Transformation works with the NATO Industrial Advisory Group to obtain Industry advice, sharing Requests For Procurements, Requests For Information, etc. and conducting Allied Command Transformation – NATO Industrial Advisory Group studies in support of Capability Development.
There are three Allied Command Transformation – NATO Industrial Advisory Group Communities of Interest (C4ISR Community of Interest, Logistics & Sustainment Community of Interest, Innovation Community of Interest) in support to Allied Command Transformation – NATO Industrial Advisory Group collaboration. The NATO Industrial Advisory Group and Allied Command Transformation – NATO Industrial Advisory Group Communities of Interest are open to all NATO industry.
Click here to learn more or to join the NATO Industrial Advisory Group.