PROJECT X empowers young innovators to build technologies for the future

On 31 January 2022, NATO launched “PROJECT X” – a rapid design challenge seeking faster and more innovative routes to delivering technologies for the Alliance. For the next three months, students from the Technical University of Delft and other Dutch universities will engage in this intense, rapid-prototyping initiative.

PROJECT X is the result of a unique collaboration between NATO, Boeing, the government of the Netherlands, Designing with Delft and the Unmanned Valley field lab.

Allied forces are increasingly operating in areas affected by extreme weather events such as storms and flooding, cold and heat waves. In this context, the challenge for the student teams will be to develop autonomous systems that can remotely access and evaluate situations inaccessible to human life.

PROJECT X is fueled by an open flow of ideas, collaboration of people with diverse backgrounds and mentorship from NATO, Boeing and other national and industrial experts. Young visionaries apply design and innovation methods to build solutions and capabilities for the Alliance’s most pressing needs.

During the five-day design challenge, teams bringing together students and mentors explored the core problems of the challenge and developed initial solutions.

An expert jury will select the most innovative designs and award grants for two winning teams to build and test physical prototypes at the Unmanned Valley field lab and other test ranges in the Netherlands.

Enhancing engagement with youth, academia and the private sector, as well as addressing the impact of climate change on security are priorities of NATO’s 2030 agenda.

The Alliance builds on closer cooperation with young entrepreneurs and innovators, as well as partnerships with industry thought leaders such as Boeing, to retain its technological edge while adapting to emerging security challenges.