Lithuania plans to invest about 20 million euros in infrastructure, equipment and support services for Vytis, a defence and security innovation development, testing and certification centre, the Economy Ministry said Friday.
The project is set to launch in the second quarter of 2026, with the centre expected to begin operations in 2028.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has clearly shown that the national defence industry must be prepared to respond quickly to complex situations,” Economy Minister Lukas Savickas said after signing a cooperation agreement with project partners. “Vytis will provide our companies and scientists with modern infrastructure, allowing them not only to create and test innovations, but also to quickly put them into practice.”
The Vytis consortium includes the Economy and Innovation Ministry, Kaunas Science and Technology Park (Tech-Park Kaunas) – the project’s initiator and coordinator – the Innovation Agency, the Inland Waterways Authority, Vytautas Magnus University, the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and the Lithuanian Energy Institute.
Paulius Nezabitauskas, director of Tech-Park Kaunas, said the centre will serve as an umbrella hub for defence and dual-use technology in central Lithuania.
“We are becoming an umbrella centre for defence and dual-use technology innovation in the middle of Lithuania, ensuring accessibility for the whole country and our Baltic Sea partners,” he said. “This infrastructure will enable the creation of innovations that meet the defence needs of Lithuania and NATO.”
Vytis will focus on developing drone systems for air and water, autonomous threat detection technologies, small reconnaissance satellites, military communications solutions, and mobile energy storage and backup power systems.
Priority areas will be coordinated with the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the Defence Ministry and other defence and security institutions. The centre will develop, test and certify defence and dual-use technologies and products.
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