Integrating Frontline Experience into the Defence Industry: Boryviter at the Defense Tech Valley Roundtable
The Boryviter Centre of Excellence co-organised a roundtable on frontline feedback integration at Defense Tech Valley — Ukraine's largest defence technology conference.
The Boryviter Centre of Excellence co-organised a roundtable on frontline feedback integration at Defense Tech Valley — Ukraine's largest defence technology conference, which gathered over 5,000 participants from more than 50 countries.
The conference, organised by Brave1 and Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation on 16–17 September in Lviv, provided a structured forum for three stakeholder groups: combat units employing technology on the front line; Ukrainian and international defence developers; and institutional partners — the NATO Innovation Fund, TUM Venture Labs (Technical University of Munich), Saab, Terma, ICEYE, and others.
The roundtable exposed a systemic challenge: the feedback loop between the front line and developers remains fragmented. Combat units generate critical operational data on technology employment, yet existing channels fail to deliver the speed or legal rigour necessary for its transfer. Concurrently, foreign companies report persistent difficulties in establishing initial contact with end users and obtaining structured feedback.
Orest Bilous, Co-founder of Boryviter, outlined the organisation's position: rather than ad hoc peer-to-peer data routes, the architecture must rest on centralised solutions that keep Ukraine's strategic repository of combat experience onshore.
"After this war ends, the only strategic asset we will retain is our data and experience. Everything else is being destroyed daily. Disaggregating this repository through unregulated channels means squandering a strategic advantage. We advocate a sustainable architecture: centralised data management, integration into Lessons Learned cycles, and joint pilot projects with the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff, and JATEC" — Orest Bilous.
The NATO Innovation Fund's representative affirmed the institutional value of frontline experience: the data being generated in Ukraine has no equivalent anywhere in the world and must underpin capability development across the Alliance.
The roundtable concluded with three operational priorities: developing a data management architecture in cooperation with JATEC; integrating Ukrainian defence start-ups into European accelerators; and establishing a standing format for structured dialogue between combat units and developers.