NATO & EDF - Building Business in a Changing Defence Era

Vinnova helps to build Sweden’s innovation capacity. We do this by funding research and innovation projects, but also by coordinating strategic initiatives, collaborating with actors across all sectors and shining a light on inspiring solutions and ideas. We help to prepare Sweden for the future.

Saab shares its experiences from participating in European Defence Fund projects and highlights the important role that small and medium‑sized enterprises play in building strong and competitive consortia. A well‑balanced consortium, bringing together companies of different sizes and capabilities, is essential for strengthening Europe’s security and innovation capacity.

Daniel Öhlander is leading BL!XT TECH Sales and marketing with a background from business development roles at larger corporations such as Schneider Electric, ASSA ABLOY as well as from start-ups.

APR Technologies AB is a high-tech company based in Enköping, Sweden. The acronym APR stands for Advanced Product Research. The company develops thermal management technologies& products to improve performance of spacecrafts, electric vehicles, battery packs and demanding electronics (such as 5/6G equipment, datacenters, vehicle mounted electronics etc).

FMV procures, develops, and delivers equipment and services to the Swedish Armed Forces, ranging from combat boots to the JAS 39 Gripen. The NSPA function within FMV’s Market and Procurement division owns and develops the operational logic governing FMV’s and Sweden’s use of NSPA, engages in dialogue with other authorities, and issues Declarations of Eligibility (DoE) to Swedish companies.

Jonathan has been working since August 2025 as an International Adviser with an EU focus and as Acting Coordinator for the FMV EDF Office. He has a background in the Swedish Armed Forces and the defence industry, as well as academic studies at the Swedish Defence University, Lund University, and Stockholm University.

About FMV:

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has an important public mission. We ensure that Swedish soldiers, pilots, and sailors have the right equipment to train with and, in operational situations, to defend Sweden. This involves delivering everything from helicopters, submarines, and GRIPEN fighter aircraft to lace-up boots, horse blankets, radar stations, armored all-terrain vehicles, and even pillows.

Our goal is to deliver the right materiel, on time, and at a cost that ensures taxpayers’ money is used as efficiently as possible.

Scaleout is a deep tech company originating from Uppsala University, specializing in federated machine learning. Through our Scaleout Edge platform, organizations can develop and deploy AI models without compromising data security. The platform supports the entire innovation process, from local testing to large-scale implementation.

Part of the Composite Technology unit within Sustainable Material Systems.
In general, we work with the development and manufacturing of composite materials and components, many of them for the aerospace industry.

Description of DIANA

DIANA (the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) is a NATO organisation that accelerates the development and adoption of dual‑use technologies to address defence and security challenges across the Alliance. It operates across member nations, working with innovators, industry, test centres, and defence end users to help innovative technologies transition more rapidly into capability.

Description of my work: 

Within DIANA, I work in the Accelerator programme, with responsibility for the design and continuous development of the accelerator curriculum. I lead the delivery of all global programme elements, including the coordination and execution of DIANA’s flagship international events, ensuring alignment across regions, stakeholders, and programme objectives.

Mattias Liefvendahl is Head of Computational Hydrodynamics at the Maritime Department of RISE, he is coordinating defense-related research at the Department and is the project manager for RISE:s participation in the EDF-project EUROGUARD. He has 20 years of experience in applied research and innovation in the areas of naval hydrodynamics and underwater technology.

The Swedish Ministry of Defence are responsible for defence procurement and industrial policy development, defence acquisition budget, R&D and defence innovation.