IGNITE built on the first stage of the Innovation Continuum, SPARK, which focused on strengthening collaboration and accelerate digital innovation through smart sourcing between NCIA, industry, and not-for-profit entities. IGNITE brought over 50 innovation entities across the Alliance, from industry, not-for-profits, NATO Nations and Bodies to finalize the design and scenario development leading up to the capstone event, SHINE, which will be held it the Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty in October 2025.
NCIA was once again a key partner in the event and was represented by experts in emerging and disruptive technologies, and multi-domain operations. NCIA also led the development of communications and information system (CIS) platforms and experimentation, providing a secure, yet open CIS environment for participants. This will allow for the development of CIS experiments to assess the impact of CIS innovations in AI, cybersecurity, and deployment automation on superior decision-making, ease of operations, and enhanced resilience.
Innovation Continuum 2025 builds on the success of the Innovation Continuum 2024 edition, providing a platform for the experimentation and demonstration of innovative technologies across the defence industry, deep-tech start-ups, national innovation entities, NATO bodies, academia, and government research organizations.