{"id":180497,"date":"2025-08-25T13:21:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T10:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/?p=180497"},"modified":"2025-08-25T13:53:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T10:53:23","slug":"jaanika-merilo-you-try-you-fail-you-improve-you-pivot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/jaanika-merilo-you-try-you-fail-you-improve-you-pivot\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaanika Merilo: “You try, you fail, you improve, you pivot”"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 22 September, Tallinn will host Defence Innovation Day<\/a>, bringing together leaders from defence, technology, and investment across the NATO alliance and beyond. For panel moderator Jaanika Merilo<\/a>, this is more than just a discussion, it is a chance to bring lessons from Ukraine\u2019s battlefield directly into conversations shaping Europe\u2019s security future.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If this event were taking place in Kyiv, Merilo says the focus would be very different. Rather than general discussions on deregulation, the agenda could feature sessions on \u201chow to mass-produce now that we have many MVPs (minimum viable products),\u201d \u201chow to award and purchase missions and results, not hardware,\u201d \u201ccombat AI and autonomy\u201d or \u201cbattlefield data fusion.\u201d In other words: less about frameworks and more about achieving results on the battlefield.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sharper focus comes from necessity. Europe remains highly regulated, which makes rapid innovation difficult when urgent needs collide with layers of directives. In Ukraine, a drone development cycle can be as short as 24 hours. Development teams are located close to the front line, receiving real-time data from drones. Adjustments are made on the spot, and the upgraded drone is back in operation within days. \u201cNo one asks whether it complies with the AI Act or other peacetime regulations, the only question is whether it will save lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same urgency has also transformed how success is measured and how innovation is procured. In Ukraine, it is not about counting drones delivered; success might be measured by missions accomplished or targets hit and destroyed. Instead of lump-sum financing, performance-based bonuses can be tied directly to battlefield results. This creates immediate incentives, but in many Western systems such an approach is still seen as going too far.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Innovation should play a much bigger role in defence education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Drawing on her Master\u2019s studies in Defence, Espionage and Surveillance at King\u2019s College London, Merilo argues that innovation should play a much bigger role in defence education. The war in Ukraine has shown the value of linking academia, the military, and innovative companies not only through research, but also through joint projects, rapid prototyping, and real-world testing. She highlights the need for regulatory sandboxes and testing environments to prepare defence leaders to work seamlessly with start-ups, tech firms, and cross-disciplinary teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This emphasis on agility is already visible in Estonia. From autumn 2025, she will teach in the new Master\u2019s programme in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, a forward-looking addition designed to keep curricula relevant and innovation-driven.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When helping start-ups pivot from civilian to defence applications without bureaucratic roadblocks, Merilo identifies four priorities:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n