Ministry of Defence concludes year-long Smart Force Academy cycle, bringing together nearly 200 Ukrainian defence companies
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, together with its partners, has completed the 12-month Smart Force Academy educational programme for Ukrainian manufacturers of weapons and military equipment. A total of 385 representatives from 199 defence companies took part in the training, accounting for around 20% of the sector's enterprises. Nearly 40% of participants were company founders, co-owners, or executives.
A professional foundation for further growth
Smart Force Academy is a joint project of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Kyiv School of Economics. Its goal is to help Ukrainian manufacturers strengthen their management competencies, scale production, and systematically develop their businesses.
The programme addressed the practical needs of defence businesses — from optimising production and systematising product development to preparing investment proposals and working with public procurement. Participants focused on five key areas: sales, production, investment, R&D, and business management.
Smart Force Academy in numbers:
- The cycle included 46 training days, comprising 64 lectures and 28 practical sessions, 39 case-study reviews, 3 panel discussions, and 4 site visits to production facilities.
- The programme featured 93 speakers, 80% of whom were practitioners with hands-on experience in the defence industry, business, the public sector, and investment.
From rapid growth to managed scaling
According to Anna Hvozdiar, Advisor to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Ukraine’s defence industry is undergoing rapid development and transformation.
Alongside the expansion of production capacities, it is critically important to strengthen companies’ management capabilities, develop modern business processes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Smart Force Academy has become a platform that helps manufacturers strengthen these competencies, which are essential for sustainable growth, scaling, and enhancing the competitiveness of Ukraine’s defence sector.
For his part, Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics, added that Ukraine’s defence industry is already a brand, driven by people who deliver results.
Results cannot be scaled without learning and systems. Our goal is to help Ukrainian arms manufacturers move from rapid growth to managed scaling of companies that strengthen Ukraine’s defence capability, economy, and technological capacity.
Ukrainian arms manufacturers are interested in developing and scaling their companies, as well as systematising their business processes. Therefore, KSE, with the support of the Ministry of Defence, is continuing Smart Force Academy 2.0 in a new format.