Kista Science City recently hosted the first TACTIC Tech Session, an evening on cyber and connectivity. Technology companies, defence end users, researchers and industry came together around one question: how does new technology go from a promising idea to something the defence sector can use? The event is part of TACTIC, a SEK 35 million initiative that aims to build a lasting structure for bringing civil innovation into Sweden’s total defence.
Why TACTIC exists
Sweden has a strong base of deep tech companies whose technology is relevant to national security. The path from a commercial product to the defence sector, however, is long and difficult to navigate. Requirements are complex, the needs of end users are rarely transparent, and small companies often lack the contacts and resources to spend years finding their way in. TACTIC addresses this gap.
The initiative is run jointly by Kista Science City, Ideon Science Park, LEAD, Sting and Uppsala Innovation Centre (UIC), with funding from the EU and Region Stockholm among others. It gives companies access to dialogues with defence stakeholders, business development, test and demonstration environments and international collaboration. TACTIC helps companies become ready for the defence market and attract external investment.
TACTIC runs over several years, and its first Tech Session gives that work a practical start. Before any long-term structure is in place, the initiative begins by putting the technology itself in front of the people who might one day use it.
Unboxing the technology
TACTIC Tech Sessions is a new knowledge series that explores technology relevant to defence and security. The format replaces traditional sales pitches with “unboxing the technology,” where companies show how their technology works in practice and in an operational context.
The evening was moderated by Alexandra Kafka Larsson, major (reserves) in the Swedish Air Force and co-founder and CEO of Parsd, who shared lessons from working with the Swedish Armed Forces. Three companies working in cyber, connectivity and AI presented what problems they address, what is new about their technology, and what it could mean in a tactical setting. The audience gained insights on how quickly a solution can go from identifying a problem to being ready to deploy.
Three perspectives on closing the gap
A conversation on stage followed with Gustav Öberg, program director of STRILAB at the first Infantry Brigade, David Olgart, Director of Cybercampus Sweden and Joachim Hammersland, Global Head of Solution Area Defence at Ericsson. Each of them described where the disconnect between technology and operational need is largest, and all three underscored: people need to meet.
For Joachim Hammersland, connectivity is the starting point.
“Connectivity lays the foundation for modern warfare. The side with the best situational awareness has the best chance of winning. You collect the data, analyse it with AI, and when soldiers arrive on the battlefield with their own devices, they can get distributed awareness in real time. The next war will not look like the last one, and that is why innovation matters. Small companies today are faster than the big ones, so don’t be shy,” he says.
He also sees room for improvement. Defence innovation still moves too slowly and needs to speed up.
David Olgart pointed to the transparent battlefield, where capabilities that can stay off the grid become essential, and to the risk of two worlds moving at different speeds.
“We have to work closely with the ones who own the problem, the Swedish Armed Forces, and with the innovation hubs. Invite officers into the hubs so they see how a startup operates. Otherwise, there will be a disconnect in speed and understanding between the two groups. We don’t sell technology for technology’s sake. We have to understand the customer’s needs,” he says.
Gustav Öberg explained that Strilab began as a purely military incubator at the Life Guards Regiment in Stockholm. He calls it the first war lab in Europe outside Ukraine. The idea grew out of lessons from Operation Interflex, the international training of Ukrainian soldiers, combined with a significant increase of soldiers and officers serving part-time in the brigade. Many bring civilian competence with them, and around 60 per cent are engineering students. Small innovation initiatives started to appear at grassroots level, as soldiers began to build things themselves. Procurement remains a challenge, according to Öberg, and more knowledge is needed so that good solutions are not disqualified on formalities.
Why meeting places matter now
The war in Ukraine has shown how fast technological advantage can shift, and how much of that shift starts with small teams working close to the end user, a lesson Europe is now applying to its own security. David Olgart put it plainly on stage:
“One gap in the ecosystem is meeting places like this one. We need to talk to each other, and we need to know that the others exist. Reach out by the coffee machine at Kista Science City, or at similar meeting points, and talk to industry,” he says.
TACTIC is built around that specific need. Through events such as TACTIC Tech Sessions, civil innovation companies and defence stakeholders can meet and talk to each other. The next TACTIC Tech Session takes place on 4 November in Kista, and further sessions and innovation processes follow as TACTIC continues its work over the coming years.
TACTIC is national initiative connecting military end-users with cutting-edge civilian technology. Find out what we can do for you at tactictech.se.
TACTIC is led by Kista Science City together with Ideon Science Park, LEAD, Sting and Uppsala Innovation Centre. The initiative is co-funded by The European Union and Region Stockholm.
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