The Swedish Air Force and the business incubator UIC, Uppsala Innovation Centre, have entered into a unique partnership agreement to develop and strengthen Sweden’s military capability. Through this collaboration, UIC becomes part of the Swedish Armed Forces’ ambition to better leverage Sweden’s world-leading civilian innovation ecosystem. The partnership aims to lower the barriers for groundbreaking startups to do business with the Swedish Armed Forces.
The new partnership between the Swedish Air Force and UIC will provide startups with enhanced support by, among other things, matching startups with capability owners within the Swedish Armed Forces and initiating pilot projects. This will enable faster evaluation of new technologies, lead to more business opportunities, and strengthen companies’ ability to attract investors.
“Many of the startups we already support today have developed technologies that can be used in both civilian and military applications. We want it to be easier and faster to identify business opportunities within the defence sector. We also want startups with the potential to strengthen Sweden’s defence and preparedness capabilities to attract more venture capital. The collaboration with the Swedish Air Force is a key part of achieving this,” says Niclas Stjernberg, CEO of UIC.
Innovation with benefits for both Civilian and Military environments
Ongoing conflicts in the world highlight the importance of being able to rapidly implement new technology at scale. According to the government’s defence industrial strategy, more civilian companies are needed to help address military needs. For this reason, the Swedish Air Force’s Training and Readiness Centre, the Air Combat School (Luftstridsskolan), has established the Experimentation Office, FvX.
“The partnership with UIC is an important piece of the puzzle in enabling us to collaborate more effectively with civilian companies. UIC has excellent insight into new Swedish startups developing promising technologies, making it a natural channel for us to work through. At the Experimentation Office, we also have the resources and mandate to test new solutions, reducing development and procurement lead times—which we know is crucial for entrepreneurs,” says Marcus Tynnhammar, Head of the Swedish Air Force Experimentation Office.
The Swedish Air Force and UIC – a local platform for National impact
The Swedish Air Force Staff and FvX are located at Uppland Air Wing (F16), which also provides a geographical advantage in collaborating with UIC. As part of the partnership, staff from the Experimentation Office will use the physical innovation environment “Innovation Hub” at Uppsala Science Park, where UIC and STUNS (the Foundation for Collaboration between the Universities in Uppsala, Industry and Society) have their offices. Innovation Hub is an open environment that brings together the innovation ecosystem, industry, and entrepreneurs.
“We want to lower the barriers for entrepreneurs to connect with us. Having a physical meeting place like Innovation Hub makes us more accessible to the civilian business community,” says Marcus Tynnhammar.
Stefan Attefall, Governor of Uppsala County and Chairman of the Board of STUNS, adds:
“The Uppsala region has built a strong collaboration model between academia, industry, and society, where STUNS brings together stakeholders, sets strategic direction, and creates shared arenas, while UIC translates this into knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship through business development and support for startups. The ability to combine vision with concrete implementation is breaking new ground in defence and preparedness innovation—an area of great importance for Sweden’s future and a clear strength of the region.”
Business development support for Military Needs
As part of this initiative, UIC has launched a new defence innovation programme, UIC Defence, aimed at strengthening entrepreneurs’ ability to deliver innovative solutions to defence actors as customers.
Through the programme, companies gain access to experienced business coaches within the defence sector, support in engaging with capability owners within the Swedish Armed Forces, thematic sessions on areas such as exports, cybersecurity, and financing, as well as services from more than 20 industry partners within UIC’s partner network. Participants also become part of a startup community that is now further strengthened by the Swedish Air Force joining the ecosystem.