By Ana Catalina Cano Londoño, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs and GSED.
Can you imagine a world without the internet, without GPS, and today… without drones? These technologies, which are now an integral part of our lives, were born in the heart of the defense sector. From the development of ARPANET—the seed of what is now the internet—to global positioning systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, the defense sector has historically been one of the main drivers of technological innovation. These advances, initially conceived for military applications, now have an undeniable impact on civil, industrial, and social spheres.
However, limiting innovation to only major inventions would be to minimize its essence. Innovation also means rethinking everyday life, transforming processes, and finding new ways to solve problems (this is what we know as incremental innovation). In a hyperconnected and technologically dynamic world, innovation is not an option; it is a condition for survival and competitiveness.
Colombia and its position in the Global Innovation Index
Colombia had been moving up the rankings, according to the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII). The country ranked 61st among 133 economies. In the most recent GII report, Colombia dropped 10 places, ranking 71st among 139 countries, placing us in a lower position than we have held in the last five years. This represents a challenge and a greater commitment to investment in R&D—venture capital investments—as these are the indicators that, according to the GII 2025, have worsened for Colombia.
However, far from discouraging us, these results highlight Colombia’s potential to consolidate its position as a key player in regional innovation. Within this ecosystem, the defense sector has a unique opportunity to take the lead.
This possibility is not only an institutional goal, it is also a hope for millions of Colombians who long for a safer, more sovereign, and more innovative country. Turning defense into a driver of development could impact all sectors and levels of society and help Colombia move closer to the positions of its neighbors, such as Chile and Brazil, which rank 51st and 52nd, respectively.
Challenges and opportunities for the Colombian defense sector
As the country advances in innovation, the defense sector faces a series of strategic challenges, but also immense opportunities:
- Promoting open innovation
Collaboration between the armed forces, industry, academia, the civilian sector, and local governments is key to accelerating innovation processes. Open innovation allows external knowledge and technologies to be leveraged to develop more effective and adaptive solutions to emerging threats.
- Committing to dual-use technologies
Many defense developments find added value when they are also applied in civilian contexts. From sensors and unmanned vehicles to communication technologies and surveillance systems, the dual approach maximizes the social and economic return on investment in R&D.
A concrete example is the development of drones in Colombia for border surveillance, which have also been adapted for environmental monitoring and natural emergency response. This dual-use demonstrates how the capabilities of the defense sector can translate into social welfare.
- Strengthening competitiveness through collaboration
Strategic alliances and collaborative models are an effective way to position Colombia as a leader in defense technology in Latin America. This not only enhances the sector’s capabilities, but also aligns it with the national agenda for reindustrialization and productive transformation.
- Integrating into innovation ecosystems
It is essential to foster collaborative networks and connect the defense sector with other strategic sectors in the country. Effective integration into national and international innovation ecosystems amplifies the impact of solutions and generates powerful synergies for development.
A Hub for Defense and Life
In this context, the Defense and Life Innovation Hub was born, an initiative of the Colombian defense sector inspired by the quintuple helix model (government, academia, business, civil society, and the environment). This project seeks to be a space for knowledge and technology transfer and to promote collaboration and co-creation, aligned with the four missions of the defense sector’s Science, Technology, and Innovation policy and with the reindustrialization objectives established by CONPES 4129 of 2024.
This hub also serves as a bridge between national technology and the solutions demanded by the 21st century. More than just a laboratory, this hub represents a call to think of defense as an agent of technological and social transformation. It is a place where threats are met with creativity, and where the protection of life is connected to the development of knowledge, science, and technology.
Conclusion: the future is built with open innovation
Today, the discussion is not whether we should innovate, but how we can do it better. The Colombian defense sector has proven to be genuinely innovative. Now, its challenge is to harness that spirit through collaboration, dual-use, and openness to shared knowledge.
Because the future of security—and development—depends not only on strength, but also on the ability to imagine, create, and transform. Innovating from defense is also defending the future with ideas and sustainable development for the country.
Ultimately, if innovation is born in defense, its destiny must be development: sustainable, collective, and Colombian.