Sweden's defence research agency specializing in CBRNE threat detection, explosives neutralisation, and AI-driven security systems for European civilian and military applications.
FOI is Sweden's national defence research agency, providing scientific and technical expertise across security, defence, and civil protection domains. They specialize in CBRNE threat detection (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives), sensor systems, and first-responder technologies. Their work bridges military-grade research with civilian security applications — developing everything from explosives neutralisation methods to AI-powered situational awareness tools for emergency responders. They also contribute to European space propulsion and aviation safety research.
Coordinated ENTRAP, EXERTER, and INHERIT on explosives; participated in EuroBioTox (biological toxins), SERSing (chemical threats), EU-RADION (radiological detection), and EU-SENSE (CBRN sensors).
Active in INGENIOUS (collaborative response toolkit), INTREPID (reconnaissance in perilous incidents), NIGHTINGALE (pre-hospital triage), SERSing (chemical sensing for first responders), and DARWIN (resilience and disaster management).
Participated in ASGARD (raw data analysis), PROFILE (customs risk management with data fusion), MIRROR (hybrid threats and social media analysis), and STARLIGHT (AI for law enforcement).
Coordinated GRAIL on green high-energy propellants for launchers and participated in Rheform on hydrazine replacement for orbital propulsion.
Participated in Future Sky Safety (aircraft fire safety, human performance) and STRATOFLY (high-speed stratospheric propulsion concepts).
Recent projects INTREPID (autonomous robotics, extended reality), STARLIGHT (AI against high-priority threats), and ALIGNER (AI roadmap for policing) show growing AI integration into security research.
In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), FOI focused broadly on resilience engineering, aviation safety, disaster management, and space propulsion — reflecting their traditional defence research roots across multiple domains. From 2019 onward, their portfolio concentrated sharply on security: explosives detection, CBRNE sensing, first-responder toolkits, and AI-driven threat analysis. This shift signals a deliberate move from general defence and safety research toward operational security technologies with direct field applications for law enforcement and emergency services.
FOI is converging on AI-augmented security and CBRNE detection systems, making them an increasingly focused partner for projects at the intersection of artificial intelligence, autonomous sensing, and public safety.
FOI operates predominantly as a specialist partner (20 of 24 projects), lending deep technical expertise to large European consortia rather than leading them. When they do coordinate (4 projects), it is consistently in their core domain of explosives research — ENTRAP, EXERTER, GRAIL, and INHERIT — where their national authority status justifies leadership. With 266 unique partners across 30 countries, they function as a well-connected hub that brings defence-grade research credibility to civilian security consortia.
FOI has collaborated with 266 distinct partners across 30 countries, indicating a pan-European network with broad reach. As a Swedish government agency, they bridge Nordic defence research communities with wider EU security and transport ecosystems.
FOI is one of very few European research institutes that combines government-level defence authority with deep hands-on expertise in CBRNE detection, explosives neutralisation, and security sensor systems. Unlike university labs, they operate at the intersection of classified defence research and open EU collaboration — giving consortium partners access to capabilities and testing environments that most civilian research centres simply cannot provide. Their coordinator roles exclusively in explosives-related projects (ENTRAP, EXERTER, INHERIT) underscore a unique European leadership position in this niche.
