Innovation thrives on community
The 2026 Intrapreneurship & Spark Cell Days focused on ideas from the team and learning from one another
A good idea often starts with a single person. However, for it to become an innovation, it requires dialogue, feedback and supporters who work together to bring it to fruition. The Intrapreneurship & Spark Cell Days, organised by the Bundeswehr’s Cyber Innovation Hub in Berlin at the end of October, provided the platform for this. Over the course of two days, participants shared experiences regarding their innovation projects, tested methods and forged contacts for future collaboration.
What helped me the most was the exchange with the other intrapreneurs and Spark Cell members. Having all the techies in one room is brilliant. That’s where you find synergies.
Lieutenant Tim
Taking the initiative requires perseverance
To kick things off, Jens Kotlarski, founder of voraus robotik GmbH, shared personal insights into his career as an entrepreneur. He spoke about his journey from academia, through setting up a business, to facing setbacks and making a fresh start in his career. This perspective is also relevant to innovation work within the Bundeswehr: driving ideas forward requires initiative and a willingness to learn from experience and break new ground.
Developing initial solutions from ideas
Several workshops focused on how participants could develop their own initial ideas in practical terms. Working alongside the CIHBw’s innovation managers, the participants set about structuring their ideas, focusing on the key functions of a solution and, finally, delivering a compelling pitch.
Mira Jago, CEO of Cuckoo Coding GmbH, provided practical insights. In her sessions on Vibe Coding, she demonstrated how targeted AI support can be used to develop initial software prototypes from an idea – from the conceptual stage right through to practical application.
From prototype to long-term use
A promising prototype is an important step in the innovation process – but, of course, it is not the ultimate goal. Participants at the Intrapreneurship & Spark Cell Days discussed in a number of sessions how a prototype can be turned into a sustainable solution for the troops. Topics included ways to reduce barriers to implementation, improve processes and secure the support of decision-makers. Intrapreneurs and Spark Cells themselves played an active role in shaping the sessions. The prototyping workshop was led by service personnel.
For the officers, the aim was to develop a shared understanding of the soldiers’ innovation work and the conditions they require to carry it out. After all, taking the initiative also requires a certain degree of freedom within the day-to-day routine of military service.
Perspectives beyond one’s own field
To conclude, Alexander Penkwitt turned his attention to the innovation work carried out by the Ukrainian armed forces. His presentation focused on the question of what can be learnt from an environment in which the rapid implementation of new ideas is of vital importance.
An exchange that continues
These encounters are already giving rise to the next steps: a meeting of the Spark Cells South is planned, and initial discussions on possible joint projects are set to follow in the coming weeks.
The aim is for this exchange to have an impact even beyond the event itself. The CIHBw brings together people who recognise challenges and want to drive change themselves. The Hub supports them in turning their ideas into concrete solutions for the Bundeswehr.
