The Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic hosted for the first time a meeting of the Investors' Council of the newly established NATO Innovation Fund. For this purpose, in addition to representatives of the 22 Alliance member countries participating in the Fund, a NATO delegation and the NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for New Security Challenges, James Appathurai, also arrived in Bratislava. "Development in this area is a win-win situation for both the defence and civilian sectors. Our involvement in the NATO Innovation Fund will help to deepen the cooperation of defence structures with the civilian sector and the academic community and also represents a potential for the development of scientific research capabilities in the country," highlighted the Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic Jaroslav Nad. At the same time, he appreciated the initiative, on the basis of which the meeting of the Investors' Council in Slovakia was held. The initiative to establish the NATO Innovation Fund stemmed from the NATO Summit in June 2021, during which the leaders of NATO member countries endorsed the "NATO 2030" agenda with the ambition to maintain technological competitiveness through innovative solutions that respond to current and future military requirements. The Slovak Republic joined the initiative at the Madrid Summit in June 2022. Representatives from 22 NATO member countries are currently actively involved in the Investors' Council meetings: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Estonia and Iceland.
Source: TASR
