UniLab Defence Launches First Onsite Week of 2026 Acceleration Programme in Latvia
2026-02-18 18:01
UniLab Defence has officially launched the first onsite week of its 2026 acceleration programme, bringing together six high-potential dual-use innovators and approximately 40 international mentors in Latvia.
Held from January 19 - 22, the week focused on defence market entry, business models, and local use-case validation. The initiative gathered innovators including Aviant (Norway), FireSwarm Solutions Inc (Canada), Marble (United Kingdom), Microbium d.o.o. (Slovenia), Alchemy (Canada), and Volta Space Technologies (Canada) - positioning Latvia as an active hub within NATO-aligned defence innovation ecosystems.
The onsite week concluded with all six innovators presenting their solutions on a national stage during the official Launch Event held as part of NAF Industry Days in Riga.
Embedding Innovators into the Defence Ecosystem from Day One
The UniLab Defence acceleration programme is structured as a six-month journey designed to help dual-use innovators transition into validated defence suppliers.
The first onsite week focused on immediate ecosystem integration.
Throughout the four days:
Six innovators developed defence-specific mission models and validation strategies
Around 40 mentors from over 10 countries participated in structured matchmaking
Innovators engaged directly with military stakeholders and procurement ecosystem actors
All six innovators pitched publicly during the national-level Launch Event
The programme integrates operational, business and geopolitical perspectives to ensure participants understand the full complexity of defence markets - including procurement cycles, stakeholder chains and validation requirements.
High-Level Engagement and International Support
The Launch Event featured senior national and international representatives, including:
Andris Sprūds, Minister of Defence of Latvia
Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
Brian Szwarc, Ambassador of Canada to Latvia
Heather Buisman, NATO DIANA
Lieutenant Colonel Adam Poirier, Multinational Division North
Earlier in the week, Brigadier Jānis Kažociņš OBE, former Latvian intelligence chief and former NATO Intelligence Committee Chair, delivered a keynote highlighting the urgency of rapid innovation in the current geopolitical context.
The programme also featured defence ecosystem representatives, test sites and industry leaders, including contributors from Origin Robotics, Lightspace Technologies, Frankenburg Technologies, LMT Defence, RSU Innovation Centre, and the Autonomous Systems Competence Center of Latvia.
A Validation-First Approach to Defence Innovation
The UniLab Defence programme prioritises operational validation over theoretical acceleration.
According to Andris Baumanis, CEO of UniLab Defence:
“Defence innovation cannot exist in isolation. From day one, our goal is to embed innovators directly into real defence ecosystems - with military stakeholders, mentors and decision-makers at the same table. This programme is about validation, not theory. It is about turning innovation into deployable capability.”
Strengthening Latvia’s Role in NATO-Aligned Innovation
By integrating the first onsite programme week with NAF Industry Days and NATO DIANA ecosystem stakeholders, UniLab Defence reinforces Latvia’s growing position as a regional defence innovation node within Europe and the transatlantic alliance.
The six innovators will now continue their structured six-month journey focused on military validation, strategic partnerships and international market access.
The 2026 acceleration programme marks another step in strengthening Latvia’s defence innovation capacity - accelerating dual-use technologies into operational defence solutions.