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Geneva Hosts First Meeting of DUAIN, a Dual-Use AI Network Linking EU and NATO Researchers
The first meeting of the Dual-Use AI Innovation Network (DUAIN), co-created by Polish scientists, took place in Geneva. The initiative is set to launch officially in June 2027.
The inaugural meeting of the Dual-Use AI Innovation Network, known as DUAIN, was held at the GESDA Anticipation Summit 2026 in Geneva. The initiative aims to bring together researchers, companies and public institutions from EU and NATO countries working on AI solutions for civilian and security needs. Polish scientists are among its co-creators.
What DUAIN Is
The network is meant to bring together researchers, companies and public institutions from EU and NATO countries. They will work on AI solutions that serve both civilian and security purposes. The reason is the growing difficulty of separating civilian technologies from military ones, for example in transport, industry or image analysis.
According to the announcements, DUAIN is meant to enable cooperation between institutions researching civilian and defense technologies in EU and NATO member states.
Organizers' Views
Prof. Piotr Sankowski, director of IDEAS and a member of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, said that Europe's AI teams are excellent, but their knowledge does not always reach the places where it could be useful, including defense technologies.
We want to create conditions for scientists from different countries and sectors to work together. - prof. Piotr Sankowski, director of the IDEAS Research Institute
The goal is to jointly develop solutions that matter for both security and the economy.
The Government's Position
Deputy Prime Minister Gawkowski argued that CERN shows Europe can jointly carry out scientific projects on a scale out of reach for individual countries, and that Poland wants to take an active part in such undertakings. According to a statement from the Ministry of Digital Affairs, he also stressed that digital sovereignty does not mean isolation, but real choice and cooperation with trusted partners.
On the sidelines of the summit, Polish investments in AI research and computing infrastructure, including AI factories, were presented. Participants also discussed the national quantum technology policy and cooperation with Switzerland. Gawkowski also visited CERN, where Poland's ambitions to help build research infrastructure were discussed.
Research Funding Backdrop
The initiative comes amid a debate over funding dual-use research in Europe. At the end of September, representatives of eight countries, including Poland, urged EU institutions to cover such research in the next Horizon Europe programme. They argued that a rigid divide between civilian and defense projects can hold back the development of new technologies.
The statements quoted by PAP (the Polish Press Agency) give no information about the network's budget or specific projects. The official launch of DUAIN is planned for the Geneva AI Summit in June 2027.
