The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency is pleased to announce the winners of the second annual Defence Innovation Challenge, aimed at accelerating transformational, state-of-the-art technology solutions from small business and academia in support of NATO C4ISR and cyber capabilities.
The top 10 innovators and their technologies are:
- Radionor Communications (Norway): Long range wireless communications: resilient terrestrial long-range or rapidly deployable, scalable IT infrastructure
- Larus Technologies Corporation (Canada): Service management automation and analytics
- Aditerna GmbH (Germany): Rapidly deployable, scalable IT infrastructure
- SpyCloud (USA): Cloud Security and Service Management Automation and Analytics
- Alessandro Busachi, Cranfield University and Babcock International (United Kingdom): Rapidly deployable, scalable IT infrastructure
- Dencrypt A/S (Denmark): Rapidly deployable, scalable IT infrastructure
- OMX Inc. (Canada): eProcurement services
- SAAB Denmark (Denmark): Secure voice interoperability between multiple security classification levels
- Oxford BioChronometrics (United Kingdom): Cyber security: sensors, analytics, visualisation
- iDelft BV (Netherlands): eProcurement services
The NCI Agency received a total of 48 proposals representing small businesses and academia from 12 Allies.
"This challenge affirms that the cutting edge technology we need to stay ahead of emerging threats is out there, and we are committed to finding innovative ways to connect with the small businesses and academic institutions that lack visibility within NATO but have much to offer the Alliance," said NCI Agency General Manager Koen Gijsbers.
The top finishers' technology will be showcased at the 2017 NCI Agency Conference and AFCEA TechNet International (NITEC17), 'Sharpening NATO's Technological Edge: Adaptive Partnerships and the Innovative Power of Alliance Industry', that will take place from 24-26 April in Ottawa, Canada. To register and view the full agenda, please visit www.nitec.nato.int.
Small businesses and academia from all 28 NATO Nations were invited to submit proposals in ten focus areas of critical importance to the Alliance mission: Cyber security: sensors, analytics, visualisation; IoT: Public Protection and Disaster Relief in a Smart City, Federation of IoT communities, analytics for trust and scepticism in IoT data; Long range wireless communications: Low-cost satellite communication services for remote IoT devices, satellite communication services for polar regions, resilient terrestrial long-range communication services; Service management automation and analytics: big data, business intelligence and cognitive analytics, proactive event management; Rapidly deployable, scalable IT infrastructure; Software defined networks; Cloud security; Secure voice interoperability, secure voice bridges; Security-accredited containerisation; and eProcurement services.