NATO Innovation Fund expands to Poland, prioritises anti-drone and space surveillance tech

The NATO Innovation Fund, a €1 billion pool contributed by 24 NATO members, is establishing a permanent office in Warsaw to accelerate the development of dual-use defence technologies on the alliance’s eastern border. Ari Jonsson, president of the fund, explained that the war in Ukraine has shifted priorities toward systems that can detect, track and neutralise drones, as well as space-based intelligence and reconnaissance assets.

Poland’s sizable defence spending, strong engineering base and willingness to embrace novel solutions were cited as key reasons for the investment focus. By locating in Warsaw, the fund intends to streamline the scouting and adoption of cutting-edge innovations, moving beyond conventional defence contractors. Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski noted that this is the first major non-Polish fund to set up a substantial presence in the country. The initiative reflects NATO’s effort to close capability gaps exposed by recent drone incursions across the region.