Building Tech for Two Worlds? INNOFENSE Is Looking for Dual-Use Startups

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Building on the success of previous cycles and the progress of participating technologies within the defense sector, iHLS and the Ministry of Defense invite startups to apply for the seventh cycle of INNOFENSE. Selected companies will have the opportunity to present their technologies, work closely with the defense ecosystem, and demonstrate how their solutions can address pressing operational challenges.

If your startup applies to one of the following subjects, consider submitting your application for INNOFENSE’s seventh cycle until October 18th, 2026:

1. Multi-user simulation platforms for tactical training and improving collective operational readiness at team level and above.
2. Early, remote detection of hostile intent in crowded public spaces: analysis of behavioral patterns and malicious intent to provide real-time alerts without disrupting the flow of people, while preserving privacy.
3. Air-transportable containers for robotic systems and military equipment: modular engineering solution enabling rapid, low-cost design and manufacturing of containers for flexible logistical deployment in the field.
4. Tools for correcting and enhancing datasets used to train artificial intelligence models.
5. Passive protection and self-healing solutions for satellite components, particularly solar panels and thermal blankets, against impacts from space-debris particles.
6. Advanced space-based active sensing solutions (miniaturization and enhanced accuracy, with an emphasis on LiDAR).
7. Design and optimization of high-performance antennas and RF arrays, for example using artificial intelligence and generative design.
8. Simulation tools for mission planning, forecasting, and performance assessment of RF systems in a spectral environment saturated with emitters.
9. Repair of steel components using 3D printing.
10. Non-explosive reactive armor: methods for energy conversion upon impact.
11. Decision-support systems for Space Domain Awareness (SDA): early event detection, pattern and anomaly identification, and generation of actionable recommendations.
12. Remote detection of concealed items within baggage and other objects: real-time, frictionless security screening without separating belongings from passengers, while maintaining public safety.
13. Decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) communications infrastructure operating over internet networks, including direct edge-to-edge routing, NAT traversal, and user authentication without reliance on a central server.
14. Establishing independent mesh networking between commercial smartphones using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth components, or a minimal hardware add-on, to maintain communications continuity in disaster-affected areas.
15. Automated tools for analyzing, interpreting, and extracting insights from vertical aerial video collected by aerial platforms.
16. Laser/RF-based wireless charging of small drones to enable extended airborne endurance.
17. Software layer for managing and optimizing diverse AI computing infrastructure: unified management of heterogeneous resources, workload optimization, performance monitoring, and reduced dependence on hardware-specific SDKs.
18. Object-detection algorithms with robust Domain Adaptation capabilities to accommodate significant changes in environmental and field operating conditions.
19. Unmanned solutions for securing remote offshore areas: target-detection capabilities and deployment of deterrence measures at extended distances from the coastline.
20. Performing secure inference over cloud environments and shared data repositories, using methods that minimize exposure of raw data while preserving the integrity of the resulting output.
21. Miniaturized antennas for broadband communications applications.
22. Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) platform for decentralized management: an engine for task coordination and routing, process and state management, and automated fault-handling mechanisms.