NATO-INNOVATION-FUND
The European Investment Fund (EIF) and the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in supporting the long-term growth of the defence, security, and resilience sectors across Europe. The EIF is part of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group and the NIF is a standalone venture-capital fund backed by 24 NATO countries.
The MoU aims to encourage more private-capital funds to become active investors in technology sectors associated with defence and security, enabling EU companies to raise equity funding from a broader range of sources. The partnership reflects the shared interest of the NIF and EIF in establishing a framework to support start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midcaps, as well as in enhancing the whole ecosystem by involving all the main stakeholders.
"By facilitating regular dialogue and knowledge sharing, the EIF and NIF will ensure a cohesive approach to strengthening the investment ecosystem for defence, security and resilience,” said Marjut Falkstedt, chief executive of the EIF. “This will benefit SMEs, midcaps, and the broader European innovation landscape."
The MoU also outlines plans for EIF-NIF cooperation on ad-hoc activities to share knowledge and raise awareness about the potential of investments in defence and security. This will help foster a comprehensive investment ecosystem, ensure effective outreach to private-capital funds, support companies in their investment plans and raise awareness of the investment opportunities in the defence, security, and resilience sectors among limited partners.
The collaboration with the NIF also is in line with the EIB Group's Security and Defence Action Plan, which is expected to support the effort primarily through the EIB's venture-debt product designed to address the funding needs of innovative companies, and which may complement EIF and NIF venture capital and private-equity funding in some cases. The signatories will also exchange information with the European Commission in areas where its potential involvement may prove beneficial for the purposes of the MoU.
“There is great momentum in deep tech that is propelling innovations to help strengthen European defence, security and resilience,” said Andrea Traversone, Managing Partner, NATO Innovation Fund. “We are excited to be collaborating with the EIF, the EIB Group and the Commission to unlock investment opportunities for European businesses, advance capacity building for dual-use innovation, and share best practices across investors, innovators and government.”
The collaboration between EIF and NIF will also focus on the design of new financial products to cater for companies’ needs. The strategic alliance between the EIF and NIF represents a significant step forward in strengthening Europe's defence and security capabilities, unlocking new avenues for private investment, and driving innovation in these vital sectors.
About the European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund:
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by its member states. It supports sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.
Financing for Europe’s security and defence industry is among the EIB Group’s strategic priorities. We provide a comprehensive range of financial support and solutions designed to meet the demands of companies and public sector entities in the security and defence sector, regardless of their size. From reconnaissance and surveillance, spectrum protection and control, to cybersecurity solutions, infrastructure and military mobility, our financing solutions are designed to bolster projects that keep Europe safe, resilient, and innovative.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth and employment.
About the NATO Innovation Fund:
The NATO Innovation Fund is a venture capital fund, backed by 24 NATO Allies, that deploys more than €1 billion in deep tech to address challenges in defence, security, and resilience. The fund invests independently, with 24 nations supporting its portfolio’s success and helping provide deep tech entrepreneurs with access to both commercial and government markets.
Participating NATO Allies are: Belgium; Bulgaria; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden; Türkiye; United Kingdom
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240702326925/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Celonis Research Unveils: 89% of Business Leaders say AI Without Process Intelligence Fails to Deliver Expected Results5.2.2025 10:00:00 CET | Press release
The vast majority of decision makers surveyed (89%) said AI needs to have the context of how their business runs to deliver the expected results.81% of respondents said their companies plan to use AI specifically to improve business processes in the next 12 months.The majority (58%) of leaders worry that process shortcomings may limit AI’s contribution to their business. Celonis, the global leader in Process Mining and Process Intelligence, today released survey findings that demonstrate widespread recognition that AI requires Process Intelligence to be effective and relevant for the business. With Celonis Process Intelligence, AI gains the context it needs to understand how a business runs and how to make it run better. The 2025 Process Optimization Report shows that the vast majority of enterprise leaders (89%) say it’s crucial that AI has the context of how their business runs if it is going to deliver meaningful results and increase operational efficiency. The majority (58%) worry
Infobip Recognized as a Worldwide CPaaS Leader by IDC MarketScape for the Third Time5.2.2025 10:00:00 CET | Press release
Global cloud communications platform Infobip has been named as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) 2025 Vendor Assessment. This is the third time that Infobip has been named a Leader in this report. According to the report, “Infobip is a key player in the CPaaS market with a global footprint and strong capabilities underpinned by its broad portfolio for enterprises as well as a carrier-grade service offering.” Courtney Munroe, Research Vice President, Worldwide Telecommunications Research at IDC, said:“Infobip has an agile organization structure and appetite for innovation to meet evolving enterprise requirements that stimulates continued expansion of its capabilities and global presence. The firm’s strong breadth and depth of services has enabled it to grow rapidly while maintaining a strong financial position.” Silvio Kutić, CEO at Infobip, said: “Over the last year, Infobip has continued to invest in innovative new services. For in
FoodChain ID and &Wider Announce Partnership for Responsible and Transparent Supply Chains That Protect Workers and Brands5.2.2025 10:00:00 CET | Press release
FoodChain ID, a provider of certification services and technology for the agriculture and food industry, and &Wider, a due diligence data company measuring worker engagement for responsible sourcing, announce their partnership for risk-based monitoring and auditing of worker conditions and engagement. The new service meets the demand from global brands to monitor and mitigate potential worker issues within their supply chains, as well as the requirements for transparent actions and reporting under the European Union’s (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250205893945/en/ FoodChain ID and &Wider have announced a partnership for risk-based monitoring and auditing of food industry worker conditions to protect workers and food brands. (Photo: Business Wire) The CSDDD created an obligation for due dilig
Alipay Records Surge of China Inbound and Outbound Travel Spending During the 2025 Chinese New Year5.2.2025 07:59:00 CET | Press release
The number of Alipay transactions made by outbound Chinese travelers across the 90 million-strong Alipay+ global merchants network increased by 30% y-o-y. The top destinations for Chinese travelers are Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, and South Korea, showing the highest growth rate in total Alipay spending.China inbound travel spending via Alipay surged by 150% y-o-y in the first five days of the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday. The number of inbound travelers using their 13 home e-wallets supported by the Alipay+ solution nearly doubled y-o-y during the first four days of the holiday.Alipay’s flagship Fortune Cards Campaign drew 600 million participants this year, reaching a cumulative of one billion users in the past decade since its launch in 2016. During the 2025 Chinese New Year, Alipay recorded a significant increase in China’s outbound and inbound travel spending. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home
Hitachi Establishes Its Fourth Corporate Venture Capital Fund to Capture Technology Turning Points and Future Growth Opportunities5.2.2025 07:00:00 CET | Press release
Total Assets Under Management (AUM) Reaches 1 Billion USD, Contributing to Sustainable Growth with a World-Class Investment Scale Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501, "Hitachi") today announced the establishment of the fourth fund of the corporate venture capital (hereinafter referred to as "CVC") fund"HV Fund" with a purpose to identify startups with the potential to create or disrupt large attractive markets, anticipate the next technological and social turning points, and generate future growth opportunities. The fourth fund will have a size of 400 million USD, which is the largest CVC fund managed by Hitachi to date. The fund will make strategic investments in startups with cutting-edge digital technologies such as data centers, distributed energy systems, future of work and industrial AI, as well as startups in new frontiers including bio, quantum, nuclear fusion, life science, space and adjacent technologies. With the establishment of the fourth fund, Hitachi's investment in CVC will reach
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom