My overview
Innovation Fund Denmark is bringing together strong Danish and international expertise in defence, security, research and innovation in a new expert committee that will assess applications for new research and innovation centres in defence technology. The committee is chaired by former NATO Ambassador and former Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Michael Zilmer-Johns, with Major General and Head of the Development and Planning Staff at the Danish Defence Command Jacob Alexa as Vice-Chair.
Denmark and Europe face a significant need to strengthen defence capability, technological resilience and security. Research and innovation play a crucial role in developing the technologies and solutions that will support the defence and societal security of the future.
For this reason, the Board of Innovation Fund Denmark has appointed a new Defence Expert Committee to assess applications for the establishment of strategic research and innovation centres in defence technology and security, and to recommend the final investment decisions to the Fund’s Board.
The committee consists of eight international and Danish experts who together represent substantial expertise in defence, security, research, innovation and strategic technology development. The members have extensive experience in assessing research quality, innovation potential and strategic importance in both national and international contexts.
“Denmark needs strong research and innovation environments that can help develop the technologies and solutions that will strengthen our security and defence in the years ahead. That is why I am very pleased that we have been able to bring together an expert committee with such strong competencies and experience. This provides a solid basis for identifying and supporting the most promising initiatives in the field,” says Anders Eldrup, Chair of Innovation Fund Denmark.
The committee will monitor the centres’ development
The committee will have a more active role than the expert panels that normally form part of Innovation Fund Denmark’s application processes. In addition to assessing the applications, the committee will follow the established centres throughout the entire grant period.
Each year, the Defence Expert Committee will assess the centres’ progress and deliverables against the agreed milestones. The assessments form the basis for subsequent grant disbursements and will help ensure that the investments create the greatest possible value for Denmark.
The strategic research and innovation centres will bring together research environments, companies and public stakeholders in strong national partnerships to develop the defence and security technologies of the future. Building on Danish areas of strength, the centres will develop, test and implement solutions that support the Danish Armed Forces’ operational needs and contribute to Denmark’s security of supply.
The call for strategic research and innovation centres in defence technology and security has a Phase 1 application deadline of 30 June.
The committee is expected to recommend the final investment decision to the Fund’s Board in December 2026.
Committee members
Chair:
Michael Zilmer-Johns, former Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador at Denmark’s Permanent Representation to NATO
Vice-Chair:
Jacob Alexa, Major General and Head of the Development and Planning Staff at the Danish Defence Command
Eveline Buchatskiy, General Partner at the Ukrainian defence fund D3
Jens Hjort, former Defence Attaché in Ukraine and Danish military representative in Kyiv
Kristi Raik, Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) in Estonia
Mauro Gilli, Professor of Military Strategy and Technology at Hertie School in Berlin
Malene Stidsen, Programme Director for Cybersecurity at the Industry Foundation
Niels Vejrup Carlsen, founder of the venture fund Final Frontier
Read the terms of reference for the Defence Expert Committee.