Just like in Germany and Israel: Ruag looks for startup innovations for the military

Promote the innovative power of the troops

Swiss Innovation Forces is a direct result of the strategic considerations of Federal Councilor Viola Amherd and the army leadership around Corps Commander Thomas Süssli. The goal: future-proof the military under Vision 2030 by advancing the pace of innovation and strength of the troops.

“Since the war in Ukraine and the use of commercially available drones for private use in the ranks of the armed forces, it has become clear how crucial the rapid adoption of new technologies has become for militaries,” said Mathias Maurer, CEO of Innoforces. These should be made available to the Swiss army.

The team around Maurer consists of 15 men and women. We are currently looking for additional employees and startups with innovative products and solutions that add value to the troops. This is one of the core tasks of the Swiss Innoforces.

Dual-use goods in focus

People are particularly interested in dual-use goods, especially the so-called Cots/Mots products. Cots stands for Commercial Off The Shelf – these are products that are mass produced and can be used completely unchanged. Mots stands for Modifiable Off The Shelf, these are Cots products that can be customized to the needs of customers or troops.

The products must be “sufficiently innovative and adaptable so that they quickly provide measurable added value to the troops and administration,” says Maurer. “These are new technologies for the troops that are sufficiently mature and can be used for the benefit of the army.” With the company he wants to find innovative products for the Swiss army on the open market, test them with potential users and quickly introduce them into the organization.

According to the models of Germany and Israel

The military is taking an approach similar to those long common in Germany and Israel. In Germany, the equivalent is the Bundeswehr’s Cyber ​​Innovation Hub. The hub describes itself as a ‘do-tank’ (rather than a think tank) and is the innovation engine for the German armed forces. His motto: “Building bridges between the Bundeswehr and the startup world.”

In Israel, the armed forces need quick answers to their challenges; products relevant to the troops must be brought to market quickly. To this end, the country is implementing the Innofense program under the leadership of the Directorate for Research and Development of the Ministry of Defense (GDR&D).

The Swiss Innovation Forces also considers itself an innovation agency. This includes defense developments such as drones, robots, AI solutions and space technologies. Low-tech applications are also discussed, such as improved online ordering systems reminiscent of Zalando or Amazon: for delivering replacement clothing to the camp bed or newly developed, weatherproof tents for soldiers.

Don’t reinvent the wheel

The idea of ​​the DDPS as the highest authority is simple: the wheel often does not have to be reinvented, because solutions to problems are available on the free market but are not yet known to the organization. Maurer’s team must investigate these for the military, at the edge of the market economy.

The company is led by experienced people with military, business and innovation backgrounds. CEO Maurer is the man of the troops, with experience as an infantry battalion commander and the ‘matchmaker’ for companies and the army.

Management member Michael Noorlander made a name for himself as co-founder of online bank Neon. He is responsible for testing the innovations and their implementation.

Elias Schäfer also comes from the founders and startup scene and was a councilor in the canton of Basel-Stadt. He is responsible for creating and expanding an innovation community within the Army.

President of Innoforces is Thomas Kipfer, board member of Ruag MRO. He also sits on the board of directors of Zug-based cryptography company Cy One, which Ruag bought in the summer of this year.

For soldiers in the field and in the office

The startup scouts give themselves between three and six months to test a product and find out whether the innovation makes sense. The only deciding factor is whether an idea has strategic relevance for the army and troops. If this is the case, the product needs to be scaled up to reach the soldiers in the field to the soldiers in the office.

The money for this comes from the taxpayer. Switzerland’s innovative forces do not work for profit. “As the Army’s innovation agency, we bill our services directly to the Army,” Maurer said. The budget is not published. However, the company boss emphasizes that “the funds are not a fund perdu, the army only pays us for services that we actually provide.” The public money flows to the acquired products and the employees. Eight projects are already in progress. Any surpluses flow back to the army and therefore to the VBS.

Good for the military, good for the federal government

However, no investments are made directly in suppliers and startups. Because Innoforces has a mandate as an innovation agency, not as an investment vehicle. For Maurer, it is important to “act enterprisingly and work as efficiently as any other company”.

According to Maurer, if the model catches on, the federal government could expand this form of innovation work to the entire federal government, beyond the military and the DDPS.