The Resilience & Security Incubator is designed for early-stage teams developing technologies that can contribute to a more resilient and secure society.
The focus is deliberately practical. You will test your assumptions, speak with potential users, develop and iterate your prototype, explore routes to market and build the evidence needed to take the next step.
The programme brings together technology, business and resilience and security expertise. Running from 9 November 2026 to 15 March 2027, participants will work with mentors who understand different sides of the journey, from developing and validating the technology to finding users, navigating complex markets and understanding the environments in which your solution needs to work.
Some technologies are created specifically to address resilience and security challenges. Others begin somewhere else and reveal new applications along the way. We are interested in both.
What matters is the potential to solve a meaningful problem and the willingness to find out whether the solution actually works.
The resilience of a society is often determined by technologies and infrastructures that most people rarely think about — until they stop working.
At the same time, organisations are facing an increasingly complicated mix of technological, environmental and societal challenges. Digital disruption, climate-related events, changing supply chains and rapidly developing technologies can all expose weaknesses in systems we depend on every day.
The opportunity is real. So is the challenge.
Resilience and security innovation is not simply about inventing something new. It is about understanding who needs it, whether it works under pressure, how it can be tested, and whether someone will actually adopt it.
That is the gap this programme is here to help you cross.
The following focus areas offer different paths depending on your venture’s goals and impact area. Each one brings tailored support, expert insight, and room to grow. These areas are not meant to put your idea in a box. Some of the most interesting solutions sit precisely between them.
Protecting digital infrastructure, data and communications — and building systems
that remain trustworthy under pressure.
Making energy, supply chains, communications and other essential systems more
reliable, adaptable and prepared for disruption.
Developing trustworthy AI, autonomous technologies and data-driven decision-making for complex or high-stakes environments.
Helping communities and organisations prepare for environmental change, extreme conditions and disruptions to natural or built systems.
Building technologies for resilient operations, sensing, communications and infrastructure in increasingly complex environments.
Exploring technologies that support human safety, performance and wellbeing in demanding environments.
Explore critical areas such as agri-food system security, sustainable food production technologies, logistical network protection, supply chain transparency, and the mitigation of supply disruptions.
By the end of the programme, you should have moved your idea forward in ways you can actually demonstrate: a more mature and tested technology, feedback from users, and a clearer understanding of where it fits and who it could serve.
You’ll also work on the practical side of building a venture, including go-to-market strategy, partnerships, funding, regulation and testing and validation. Depending on your starting point, this could mean early customer or partner traction, a stronger funding strategy, or a clearer route towards adoption.
The programme ends with a 90-day plan for what comes next, so you leave not just with a better idea, but with a good sense of what you’re going to do with it.
The programme will be delivered in English and will consist of weekly or bi-weekly workshop sessions, complemented by online mentoring sessions. Workshops will be held in person in the Helsinki City Centre. The exact venue and room details will be confirmed and communicated to participants closer to the start of the programme.
Programme Format
Read a more detailed schedule for the Resilience & Security Programme on the link below!
We are looking for a strong problem, a credible technological approach and a team willing to do the work. Your application does not need to read like a finished investor deck. We want to understand what you are building, why it matters and what you need to figure out next.
This University of Helsinki programme is intended for teams working on technologies with potential to strengthen resilience, security, preparedness or the ability of organisations and societies to respond to disruption.
We are particularly interested in teams around TRL 3–4 and beyond, with a clear technology proposition and some evidence that there is a real problem worth solving. You should be ready to commit at least 10 hours per week per core team member and to work seriously on the venture throughout the programme.
Who Should Apply? The programme is open to anyone in the Helsinki Capital Region — researchers, doctoral candidates, postdocs, startup teams and independent founders. We particularly welcome teams from:
The call for applications for the Resilience & Security Incubator Programme is now open. Click the link below to submit your application and join a community of innovators working to build a more resilient future.
Participating in the incubator programme can be included in your transferable skills studies under the course code PHD-313 for a total of 8 ECTS. Please request a certificate of attendance upon completion of the incubator programme, and contact
Participating in the programme can be registered in Sisu under the course code PHD-313 for a total of 8 ECTS. Please request a certificate of attendance upon the completion of the incubator programme, and contact
Students must then co-ordinate with their degree programme to include these credits into their degree. It is advised to check with the degree programme beforehand if the credits can be included into the degree, and under what section.
The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Services does not guarantee that credits can be included in all degrees.
Do you have some questions before applying? Don't hesitate to contact the lead of the Resilience & Security Programme:
Email:
Mobile: +358 50 5215286