Defence Innovation Network Finland (DEFINE) is an open network that brings together the Defence Forces, defence and security companies, educational institutions and research institutes, as well as numerous actors in Riihimäki and the Kanta-Häme region. The network’s goal is to accelerate the participants’ innovation and development activities and to grow the companies’ turnover.

The network’s activities began with a funding decision received in 2023. The building of the network is coordinated by the City of Riihimäki. Lieutenant General (res.) Ilkka Korkiamäki serves as the special adviser of the ecosystem project.  Define is open to all innovative companies operating in the defence and security field. We provide a platform for developing technology and innovations and support companies in growing their funding and business.

Finnish technology and innovation expertise is among the best in the world, and with NATO membership, the demand for and market of Finnish high-technology defence products has grown tremendously. For example, nearly a hundred defence and security companies took part in the startup event Slush in autumn 2023.

The benefits generated by the Define network spread far beyond the defence and security sector. The dual-use technologies arising from defence research and development serve military organisations, but also civilian society.

The world’s most advanced technologies and solutions are often born in joint development and innovation activities between companies, military organisations and research institutes. For example, the roots of the internet lie in the ARPANET project under the US defence administration. Similarly, many of the technological innovations that influenced the development of smartphones, such as GPS and touchscreen technologies, have emerged as a result of cooperation between the defence administration and companies. We want to propel the development of such innovations and services that touch the whole of society. In the Define network, technologies and businesses that improve quality of life throughout society are launched and accelerated.