Call for Industry, Research and Innovation Actors
GATE Institute will host the SPARK phase of NATO’s Innovation Continuum 2026, an international innovation and experimentation initiative led by NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT). The SPARK event will take place in Bulgaria from 24 to 26 February 2026 and marks the starting point of the Innovation Continuum cycle.
As part of this process, NATO has issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting industry, startups, scale-ups, research organisations, innovation hubs and technology providers to express interest and share information about technologies that could support NATO’s future capabilities.
What is the Innovation Continuum?
The Innovation Continuum is NATO’s structured framework for engaging with innovation actors early, before formal procurement. Its purpose is to identify, test and evaluate emerging and disruptive technologies through experimentation and demonstrations, accelerating their potential adoption across the Alliance.
Тhe RFI is an entry point into NATO’s innovation and experimentation ecosystem, enabling dialogue, visibility and participation in future experimentation activities.
Who should respond to the Request for Information?
The RFI is addressed to organisations that develop or integrate technologies at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4–9, including:
NATO is particularly interested in solutions related to:
artificial intelligence, cyber resilience, autonomous systems, electronic warfare, smart logistics, AI-enabled C4ISR and cognitive technologies
Why the SPARK phase matters
The SPARK phase, hosted by GATE, focuses on challenge scoping and alignment. It is where NATO experts and innovation actors:
Technologies and teams identified during SPARK may be invited to participate in subsequent phases of the Innovation Continuum in other NATO countries.
How to respond to the NATO Request for Information?
Organisations responding to the RFI are invited to submit non-binding information about their technologies or solutions. This typically includes a short description of the technology, its intended use cases, its Technology Readiness Level (TRL), and its relevance to one or more of the thematic areas of the Innovation Continuum. No pricing, contractual, or classified information is required at this stage.
How are responses submitted?
Responses to the RFI are submitted electronically, following the instructions and contact details specified in the NATO document. Participation is voluntary, and submitting information does not create any contractual obligation for either party.
What happens after responding?
Information submitted through the RFI may be reviewed by NATO innovation and capability teams. Based on this review, selected organisations may be invited to take part in further dialogue, challenge-scoping activities during the SPARK phase, or subsequent experimentation and demonstration phases of the Innovation Continuum. Responding to the RFI does not guarantee selection, funding, or procurement, but it enables early engagement with NATO’s innovation and experimentation ecosystem.
By hosting SPARK, GATE acts as a gateway between NATO and the regional innovation ecosystem, supporting early engagement of Bulgarian and international innovation actors in NATO-led experimentation efforts.
The full NATO Request for Information (RFI) related to Innovation Continuum 2026 is available here.