Di5 is Norway's leading hub for defence innovation. We unite major defence companies, cutting-edge startups, investors and the military to accelerate the commercialisation of next-generation dual-use and defence technologies
NATO article 5 is in doubt.
The US administration is transactional at best when it comes to defending Europe, and retains ITAR restrictions on multiple critical defence systems.
Russia is on a war footing, producing tanks, artillery and weapons systems at a scale not seen since the height of the cold war.
Europe is urgently re-arming, assessing the Russian threat as clear and present.
China has emerged as a pre-eminent world power, with realpolitik dominating its foreign, trade and defence policy.
Norway is in no position to defend either its coastline or its border to the North.
The time has come to unite and act decisively to rebuild our defensive capacity.
The war in Ukraine has introduced the era of autonomous warfare.
Drones costing 100’s of dollars are wiping out tanks worth millions.
Russia is deploying swarms of ballistic, and cruise missiles mixed with drones and even artillery to overwhelm air defences across Ukrainian cities daily.
The entire Black Sea fleet was rendered useless by a series of seaborne drones costing a fraction of price of a navy frigate.
Every few months new threats are neutralised by even newer counter measures, with the pace of innovation progressing at breakneck speed.
The battlefield of tomorrow will require a level of technical agility not seen in generations, drawing heavily on civilian technology to reach the scale and flexibility necessary to constantly adapt to the changing environment.
Today, Norway has a fractured landscape when it comes to the defence industry.
The large systems integrators in Norway work largely autonomously, neither partnering with the burgeoning startup scene or other primes in Europe.
The innovation houses such as Kongsberg Innovation have historically acted on a regional basis.
The national government has also had a largely regional focus to date, and has not acted to coordinate a national effort.
Di5 believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that we’re punching way below our weight.
Di5 aims to unite the industry, build “one way in”, and enable effective collaboration across the ecosystem.
Di5 believe It’s essential to radically drive down the cost and increase the iteration speed of the defence industry.
We need to relearn the language of deterrence, and back it with the battlefield capabilities of tomorrow necessary to deter our adversaries.
Di5 is Norway’s national hub for defence and dual-use innovation. We bring together industry leaders, startups, investors, academia, and the military to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the development of next-generation technologies. By acting as a single entry point, Di5 lowers barriers between stakeholders and makes it easier to build the battlefield capabilities of tomorrow.
Through events, matchmaking, research projects, and curated insights, Di5 helps members connect, scale, and succeed. Our mission is to grow Norway’s role in the global defence ecosystem by supporting breakthrough companies, enabling faster commercialization, and fostering partnerships that deliver impact both at home and internationally.
