{"id":15489,"date":"2026-04-06T13:37:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T10:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/bescaled-helps-startups-enter-the-defence-and-security-sector\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:33:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T09:33:46","slug":"bescaled-helps-startups-enter-the-defence-and-security-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/bescaled-helps-startups-enter-the-defence-and-security-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"BeScaled helps startups enter the defence and security sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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BeScaled is a pre-accelerator that supports Estonian and Finnish startups in entering defence, security, and resilience markets, helping them find new use cases for their technology. The program focuses on dual-use solutions, meaning technologies that can be applied in both civilian and defence contexts, enabling companies to pivot toward new markets. <\/p>

We spoke with Noora Ustav<\/strong>, Project Manager of the program, to understand why such an initiative is needed today, what the main barriers to entry are, and what BeScaled actually offers to participating companies. <\/p>

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What is BeScaled and what gap does it fill in the Estonian and Finnish startup ecosystem?<\/h3>

BeScaled is an accelerator program aimed at Estonian and Finnish companies, designed to help startups enter defence, security, and resilience markets. It is a rapidly growing sector, but one that still presents significant entry barriers. <\/p>

That is exactly why this program was created \u2014 to provide structured support, especially for smaller companies. Currently, there is no clear support structure that helps adapt civilian technologies for defence applications. Many startups already have a product or technology, but it often requires some modification to be suitable for defence or crisis scenarios. <\/p>

The program lasts six months and will run four batches in total. The first batch starts in April 2026, and the final one will take place in 2027 . In Estonia, the program is led by Tartu Science Park and Tallinn University, with Finnish partners including H\u00e4me University of Applied Sciences, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, and Linnan Kehitys, alongside several universities and development organizations.<\/p>

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The term dual-use is widely discussed. How would you explain it in simple terms and why is it so relevant right now? <\/h3>

Dual-use refers to technology that has two applications \u2014 both civilian and defence-related. Often, it is a product originally developed for civilian use that can, with some adjustments, also be applied in defence. <\/p>

For example, energy storage solutions used in industry or power grids, such as those developed by Skeleton Technologies, can serve as backup power in crisis situations. Similarly, maritime surveillance and navigation systems used in civilian contexts, such as solutions by Kongsberg Maritime (part of Kongsberg Gruppen ASA), can also be applied in border control or military operations. <\/p>

This field has become especially relevant as investments in defence and security have grown rapidly in recent years. Across Europe, spending has increased significantly since 2020, and Estonia\u2019s defence sector exports have also surged over the past five years. <\/p>

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Is it easier to enter the defence industry today, or is it still difficult?<\/h3>

It is still a challenging sector, but no longer reserved only for large corporations. Startups are playing an increasingly important role. <\/p>

Statistics show that a significant share of fast-growing companies in this space are startups, meaning the door is more open to smaller players than before. However, entry is far from easy \u2014 the right connections and guidance remain critical. <\/p>

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What are the main barriers startups face when entering the defence and security sector?<\/h3>

In Estonia, the challenge is not so much technological \u2014 startups are capable of building strong solutions. The biggest barriers are administrative. <\/p>

These include complex regulations, procurement rules for working with public sector entities, required certifications, and long validation cycles with end users. All of this makes market entry time-consuming and difficult. <\/p>

The program aims to shorten these processes and help companies better understand how to position their product in this sector.<\/p>

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If 10 teams are selected, what can they expect during the six-month program?<\/h3>

During the program, teams work with experts and mentors to develop their product and business model for defence applications.<\/p>

They go through business development, technical adaptation, legal aspects, and sales within the defence sector. This is a highly sp\u0435cific field where the same approaches used in civilian markets do not always apply. <\/p>

In addition, companies gain access to the ecosystem \u2014 they can engage with industry experts and potential end users. There is also an opportunity to participate in product development programs, using laboratories and testing environments to further develop their solutions in practice. <\/p>

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A Pitching Day was also recently held. What happened there? <\/h3>

Pitching Day was designed for companies applying to the program. They presented their ideas to a jury composed of program leaders and external experts, including representatives from the defence sector. <\/p>

The goal was to help companies move from idea to validated use case while also assessing their readiness for the program. As a result, 10 companies were selected to start the program in April. <\/p>

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When will the next application round open and what are the requirements?<\/h3>

The next program will start in the autumn. Exact dates are not yet confirmed, but interested teams can already get in touch to express interest and receive more information. <\/p>

As a minimum requirement, the company must be up to five years old from its first revenue and based in Estonia or Finland. It must not be under EU sanctions and should not yet be operating in the defence, security, or resilience sector. An idea-stage product is sufficient, as long as there is clear potential and direction for development.
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More information HERE!<\/a><\/p>

noora.ustav@teaduspark.ee<\/p>

sven.lilla@teaduspark.ee<\/p>

The BeScaled project is funded by the European Union and is free of charge for participating companies.

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BeScaled is a pre-accelerator that supports Estonian and Finnish startups in entering defence, security, and resilience markets, helping them find new use cases for their technology. The program focuses on dual-use solutions, meaning technologies that can be applied in both civilian and defence contexts, enabling companies to pivot toward new markets. We spoke with Noora […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[193,242],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-military"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15489"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15554,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15489\/revisions\/15554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}