Business Tampere is launching the Cold Will initiative — a new Defence and Security Technology Network designed to accelerate the journey from research and technology to tested, deployable solutions. With a strong international focus, the network brings together companies, research organizations, public actors, test environments and partners from Finland and around the world.
The defence and security environment has changed rapidly. New technologies are needed, but innovation alone is not enough: solutions must be tested, validated, developed through operational feedback and moved into real-world use faster than before.
Cold Will responds to this need by connecting the entire development pathway. The network brings together research, technology, testing, industrial expertise and operational learning with international funding, procurement and market channels.
Northern expertise for demanding conditions
Finland’s strengths include long-term preparedness, technological expertise and the ability to operate in demanding northern conditions. Cold Will highlights expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, sensors, optics, semiconductors, communications, space technology and other defence and dual-use technologies.
Testing and validation play a central role in the network. The aim is to create a continuous development cycle in which research leads to innovation, solutions are tested in real-world conditions, and feedback from use continuously guides the next stage of development.
Connections from Ukraine to the Nordics, Europe and North America
Cold Will builds bridges between regions that are critical to defence innovation. Operational experience and lessons from Ukraine are connected with Nordic technology, testing and resilience. Brussels provides access to EU and NATO programmes, funding and procurement, while the United States brings dual-use innovation, growth capital and international market opportunities into the network.
The aim is not simply to create another regional defence cluster, but an internationally relevant network that helps the right actors find each other and move faster from ideas to collaboration and from technology to deployable solutions.
– Finland has exceptionally strong expertise in defence, security and dual-use technologies. Cold Will’s role is to make this expertise easier to discover, connect it with international partners and help solutions move faster from testing to real-world use. International reach is a core strength and starting point for the network from day one, says Mika Kulkas, Head of Defence at Business Tampere and Colonel (ret.).
A network for companies and international partners
Cold Will connects companies and partners with relevant expertise, testing and validation environments, research organizations, industrial actors and international funding and market opportunities.
You can learn more about the network through the Cold Will website and LinkedIn channel. The channels highlight technologies and capabilities, collaboration opportunities, testing environments, case studies, as well as current events and projects.
Proven in the North. Ready for the world.