The Defense and Digital Resilience program strengthens the growth of Finland's defense industry
Business Finland's Digital Resilience program will now cover the entire Finnish defense industry instead of only digital solutions. The goal is to produce globally pioneering solutions for ensuring comprehensive security and resilience in societies.
The Digital Resilience program launched by Business Finland in April 2024 has raised considerable interest and reached its customers exceptionally well. In addition to the funded research and development projects, a high-level Team Finland delegation was organized to Japan and Korea in September, led by Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen. The program has organized networking events for leading companies, SMEs, and growth companies, as well as research organizations, to meet and initiate new international cooperation projects.
"The armed conflicts and geopolitical changes have emphasized the importance of the defense industry, and there's no reason to assume that the situation will ease in the near future. Finland has a highly developed defense industry, which can also bring us economic growth. There is significant potential for collaboration with Sweden and Norway. We live in the best countries in the world, and we have a lot to defend," says Lassi Noponen, Director General of Business Finland.
"There are numerous expectations towards Business Finland due to our unique role as a public innovation funding agency, networker, and promoter of internationalization. There has been a strong request from ministries, other stakeholders, and customers to make a substantial investment in supporting the growth of defense industry. We responded quickly to this need and expanded the scope of the Digital Resilience program to match the needs," he continues.
120 million euros to improve competitiveness
The Defense and Digital Resilience program focuses on the synergies of dual-use technologies, products, and defense industry solutions. The program responds to the needs of critical infrastructure as well as national defense. Developing ecosystems is critically important for comprehensive security. Examples are the leading company projects from Patria, Bittium, and Nokia, as well as the Digital Defence Ecosystem, which are all funded by Business Finland. The research, development, and innovation budget for the program rises to 120 million euros. This is intended to particularly increase R&D activities of SMEs and growth companies.
The goal of the Defense and Digital Resilience program is seamless cooperation among various stakeholders, including Tesi, VTT, National Emergency Supply Agency, the Finnish Defense Forces, Traficom, PIA ry, FISC ry, Critical Communications Finland, and regional development companies.
Read more about the Defense and Digital Resilience program
For more information
Kirsi Kokko
Program Director, Head of Defense and Digital Resilience
Business Finland
+358 50 550 2023
kirsi.kokko (at) businessfinland.fi
