The first forum of innovators in the field of defense technologies in the history of relations between Ukraine and NATO, organized jointly with the innovative defense division of the U.S. Department of Defense, took place in Krakow.

The forum, which started on Monday and lasted four days, was attended by more than 300 representatives from 17 countries, including representatives from governments, innovators, startups and investors. The main focus was on innovative technologies in the field of defense, in particular, unmanned automatic systems, mainly drones.

Speaking to the audience, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid Technologies and Cybersecurity, David van Weel, stated that the current security environment requires "more." He said today, more than ever, action is needed. The innovation ecosystem in Ukraine and NATO allies must bring together to jointly solve military problems in an innovative way. According to him, this forum is so important, as they must bring together entrepreneurs, technologists, investors, students, researchers, users and representatives of defense innovation institutions, solve urgent problems and ensure that this becomes a success on the battlefield.

In this regard, the Assistant Secretary General expressed confidence that this forum provides this opportunity to participants from more than 20 countries. Van Weel said when he thinks about Ukraine-NATO cooperation, it is clear that this must include deepening the common partnership in the field of innovation. He added he met with Minister Fedorov last year as part of the first Innovation Dialogue with Ukraine and they agreed that they must deliver results, and that they would take an ecosystem approach to their work, bringing together investors and innovators to make a difference in all areas. We've come a long way since then. A year later, he looks forward to the signing of the first agreement between Ukraine and NATO allies on cooperation in the field of innovation. At the same time, the Assistant Secretary General spoke for the need to build an integrated Ukraine-NATO innovation network.

In turn, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, addressing the forum participants via video, said: "Almost every day at the forefront we reinvent technologies. It is fair to say that this is the most technologically advanced war in human history. Drones have become a major game changer and defense innovation a big concept. This includes robots."

The Ukrainian minister recalled that last spring a defense technology support cluster, Brave1, was created in Ukraine. "Within a year of its existence, it has become a high-speed route for innovation – 2,000 projects have been sent, most of them have passed through military testing, and hundreds are already serving on the front line. In 2023 we carried out a technological revolution. 90% of drones on the front line are made in Ukraine. Last year, 300 thousand units were produced. This year we have set an achievable goal of 1 million drones," he said.

According to Fedorov, every third tank and combat vehicle was destroyed by a drone. He also believes that "robots will be the next game changer that will allow us to save thousands of lives and liberate our territories more effectively." "In Ukraine we fight using technology made in Ukraine. There are no shortcuts or magic technologies. It's all about continuous work. Ukraine is the best center for research and development – today we receive your technologies for testing, tomorrow we check them hundreds of times. Join our defense sector – we are open to discuss any type of cooperation: from creating joint projects and investing in Ukrainian companies to supplying us with important components. Let’s create the components of our victory together," he said.