The Diplomat
NATO leaders agreed at the recent Madrid summit to establish a Luxembourg-based fund that aims to “help bring to life those emerging technologies with the power to transform our security in the coming decades, strengthening the innovation ecosystem and reinforcing the security of our one billion citizens,” according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
According to the Luxembourg-Spanish Economic Forum, in its initial phase, the fund will invest €1 billion in start-ups and other venture capital funds developing emerging dual-use (civilian and military) technologies that are priorities for NATO, such as artificial intelligence, big data processing, quantum technologies, autonomy, biotechnology and human enhancement, materials, energy, propulsion and space.
For its part, the Luxembourg government, through its Prime Minister, made “a twofold commitment”. “We will host the fund as a domicile and also contribute to joint investments to preserve a technological edge that will be fundamental to both our security and economic development in the future,” said Xavier Bettel, whose government, in partnership with Luxinnovation and the National Research Fund, launched a three million euro programme a few weeks earlier to support research and development with dual-use applications in the defence field.
