jHub Defence Innovation is the Cyber & Specialist Operation Command’s innovation team. It connects world class technology and talent to military users, funds and accelerates their pilots, and rapidly procures through the Command’s Innovation Board.

jHub was established in 2017 when the Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognised it needed a new model for innovation. Previous MOD innovation recommendations argued for smaller and experimental approaches. Under the wing of the Joint Forces Command (now the Cyber & Specialist Operation Command), jHub was launched as the only innovation taskforce in the MOD that reported directly to a four-star commanding officer. It was deliberately located away from the MOD near Shoreditch and adopted a startup mentality. It operates a network of innovation scouts to identify the most exciting and fast-moving technologies. What makes the jHub innovation model effective is its speed. jHub aims to assess and pilot new innovations within six months before being taken to the Command’s Innovation Board for procurement.

jHub is closely aligned with its American counterpart, the Silicon Valley-based Defense Innovation Unit, which launched in 2015 and reports directly to the Secretary of Defense. In 2024, the US and the UK signed an agreement to place liaison officers in each other’s defence innovation hubs.

The UK Defence Innovation agency, which launched in July 2025 and will be fully operational by 2026, will build off jHub’s efforts. It jHub is an example of how the military has embraced innovation and sought to bring startups into defence procurement.

Further reading

This entry was written by Matt Smith. Matt is the Vice President at the Global Entrepreneurship Network.