The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI) announced the opening of the fourth annual Defense Innovation Challenge (NITEC19) to start-ups, SMEs and academia.

The Agency calls for proposals on solutions that could support NATO’s command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and of course to improve cyber capabilities.

According to the official website, the challenge focuses on data science and natural language processing, for this reason, NATO Communications and Information Agency is accepting submissions in the following priority areas:

Data science tools and approaches for a) Natural Language Processing for semantics and sentiment analysis, or b) processing data from maritime environments;

Capabilities for sensing the maritime environment;

Solutions to the telecommunication challenges of the High North.

The challenge aims at accelerating transformational, state-of-the-art technology solutions from participants to support NATO’s C4ISR and improve its cyber capabilities.

“The NITEC innovation challenge,” said Mike Street, Head of innovation and data science at the NCI Agency, “is a great way for a wide range of companies and organizations to share their innovative products and services with the NCI Agency. It is one of the routes we use to ensure that NATO’s technology experts stay aware of how innovative technologies are being applied.”

The top ten proposals will be exposed in a 5-minute pitch presentation during the plenary session of the NITEC19 event. The winner will receive a

prize of 10 000 EUR, it will be also tasked of running a formal pilot with the NCI Agency to demonstrate their solution.

“We are seeking to broaden engagement with innovative technology drivers as NATO undergoes its largest technological modernization in decades,” said NCI Agency General Manager Kevin J. Scheid.

Proposals must be received by 22 March, and the Agency will announce the winners on 8 April.

Pierluigi Paganini

( SecurityAffairs – NITEC19, NATO)

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