What's up

June 2026 – The first STRIKE-IT projects have officially entered their operational phase. Following a competitive selection process led by the Belgian Cyber Force and the Royal Higher Institute for Defence, twelve projects have been selected to accelerate the next generation of cybersecurity solutions for defense and dual-use applications.

The selected teams will now begin an intensive six-month journey combining funding, expert support, operational guidance, and direct interaction with defense stakeholders.

From proposal to deployment

More than a traditional call for projects, STRIKE-IT was designed to accelerate mature cybersecurity solutions capable of rapidly delivering operational value.

With a total budget of €1.8 million and funding of up to €150,000 per project, the program supports innovations that address the growing cybersecurity challenges surrounding connected systems, from vehicles and drones to industrial infrastructure and critical communications.

Over the coming months, the selected teams will work alongside Cyber Defence Factory experts and Belgian Defence representatives to transform promising concepts into deployable capabilities.

Six projects at the CDF6000

The projects selected at the Cyber Defense Factory hosted at A6K reflect the diversity of today's cybersecurity challenges and the importance of securing connected technologies across civilian and defense environments.

↘︎ ARMOR

Led by CETIC in collaboration with Get Your Way, ARMOR aims to facilitate cybersecurity risk assessments for IoT systems through an agent-based approach that combines automation, risk analysis, and regulatory compliance support.

↘︎ NOVA

Developed by Orange Belgium in partnership the CYLAB, the Cyber Defence Lab of the Royal Military Academy of Belgium**,** NOVA focuses on network-level visibility and anomaly detection for connected devices, helping organizations detect and mitigate suspicious communications in real time.

↘︎ SOVA

Led by Spin42 and supported by Swarn (Citronics), the SOVA project addresses the challenge of secure firmware updates for connected vehicle fleets through an open, vendor-independent over-the-air update platform designed to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen long-term resilience.

↘︎ SpyIOT

This collaboration between Thales and UMONS, called SpyIOT, delivers real-time discovery and mapping of wireless IoT devices. By making previously invisible connected assets visible, the solution improves situational awareness across both civilian and defense environments.

↘︎ TRUST-SWARM

Coordinated by Callewaert Consultancy and bringing together Capyx, IMEC's IDLab-DISCOVER, and Noordzee Drones, TRUST-SWARM explores secure autonomous drone swarms capable of operating through decentralized trust mechanisms and resilient coordination models.

↘︎ VBN

Developed by Banana Navy in collaboration with Sirris, VBN introduces a sovereign, cyber-hardened crisis communication platform designed to maintain trusted dialogue with citizens during emergencies, even under cyberattack or large-scale communication surges.

National program across two Cyber Defense Factories

Alongside the projects hosted at CDF6000, six additional projects will be developed through CDF8000 at HOWEST in Bruges, CHIMERA, GIOB, IOTSLF, OSPIRE, SDP, and SOV-PRINT.

Together, these twelve projects demonstrate the strength of collaboration between start-ups, SMEs, research centers, universities, industry leaders, and defense stakeholders working toward a common objective, strengthening Belgium's cyber resilience.

Six Months to deliver results

The launch event marked the beginning of a structured six-month program built around weekly follow-ups, monthly reviews, thematic workshops, and milestone-based evaluations.

Each project will be supported by dedicated steering committees bringing together innovation experts and intended defense end users, ensuring that development remains aligned with real operational needs.

The program will culminate on December 2, 2026, at A6K, where participating teams will demonstrate the results of their work and showcase how their innovations contribute to strengthening Belgium's cyber resilience.

Building tomorrow's cyber defense ecosystem

The first edition of STRIKE-IT reinforce a simple but powerful idea, the best cybersecurity capabilities are built through collaboration. Our motto, cyber force through partnernships.

By bringing together industry, research, and defense around concrete operational challenges, STRIKE-IT helps transform innovative concepts into deployable solutions capable of strengthening both civilian and military resilience.

We are proud to welcome the selected projects to A6K and look forward to supporting them throughout this journey.

The projects have been selected. The work starts now 🎳