The Aurora Coalition is a Vanguard Europe membership platform for dual-use and defense-tech innovators, investors, industry, and ecosystem enablers to coordinate on joint positions and advocacy related to EU-level initiatives emerging technologies for resilience and defense. To that end, the AURORA Coalition generates policy intelligence and analysis, facilitates exchanges between members on EU developments of interest, and contributes to narrative-building and ecosystem development.
NATO alignment is a prerequisite for membership in the Aurora Coalition. Target members are companies, including startups and scale-ups, that are under-represented in the EU advocacy ecosystem yet stand to benefit or lose the most from the EU’s historical move into the resilience and defense space. Defense primes and established companies acting as ecosystem enablers are also welcome as members, and venture funds, banks, and NATO-aligned think-tanks are welcome as associate members.
The first meeting of the Aurora Coalition, with an initial membership base, will take place in December 2025. The meeting will focus on refining the AURORA Coalition’s mission, on setting its long-term objectives, and on drafting the Coalition’s short- and medium-term action plan. The Aurora Coalition will be formally launched in the first trimester of 2026, with the goal of hiring a full-time Executive Director by June 2026 and an additional 2 FTEs by November 2026. The first annual report of the Coalition will be presented during the Genval Forum III, scheduled for November 2026.
More details on the Aurora Coalition will be presented at the closing of the Genval Forum II and as a follow-up to the Forum. For scheduling a conversation regarding potential membership, reach out to the Vanguard Europe team.
Aurora, Roman goddess of dawn, is a vanguard of daylight, announcing every morning the transition from darkness to light. She symbolizes renewal and opportunity; her role, just like the role of a vanguard, is to open the way. Aurora is an enabler, not a guarantor of success. She represents the possibilities that come with new beginnings.
Image: Aurora (1614) by Guido Reni
