To meet growing demands in defence innovation, the Dutch Ministry of Defence needed to build internal innovation capabilities at scale. Many employees had limited experience in innovation, while the number of innovation projects, and their strategic importance, was rapidly increasing. A structured, inspiring and practice-based training programme was needed to equip both new and experienced professionals with essential skills, knowledge and mindset. 

Fronteer designed and delivered an 8-part foundational innovation training, combining co-creation, theory and real-world cases. The programme was tailored to the defence context and focused on key innovation skills: from defining problems and generating ideas to validating solutions and engaging stakeholders. Additional modules are co-developed annually to keep up with new trends and challenges. 

Over four years, more than 140 employees are trained to confidently contribute to defence innovation. The result is a practical, interactive and highly contextualised training programme that enables participants to apply innovation methods directly in their daily work, strengthening the Ministry’s capacity to innovate, adapt and lead in a changing world.