Nokia leads EU project to protect critical infra with drones

Nokia has been selected to lead a major European Union-funded initiative aimed at using drones and robotics to monitor and protect critical infrastructure across the continent. The

three-year project, called Proactif, brings together 43 organizations across 13 countries.

The effort is backed by the EU’s Chips Joint Undertaking, a funding framework designed to advance Europe’s semiconductor and digital capabilities. Notably, the program includes participation

from non-EU countries, including Israel.

Nokia will coordinate a consortium that includes global tech firms like Nvidia, aerospace and defense giants Safran, Leonardo and Saab, alongside startups, universities and public agencies.

The goal is to develop a new generation of unmanned vehicles and systems capable of providing real-time situational awareness and automated inspections of key assets such as power grids,

railways, ports and telecom infrastructure.

According to Nokia, the consortium will develop nine technology building blocks and five drone and robotic platforms equipped with advanced radar, lidar and optical sensors. The systems will

be capable of autonomous operations and remote deployment, tailored to both routine infrastructure inspection and emergency response. “The use of UxV technologies enables a more holistic

understanding of an incident’s location and severity, as well as comprehensive situational awareness, through frequent and efficient sensor data gathering,” Nokia stated.

Beyond the technology, the Proactif project is also intended to deliver concrete economic outcomes. By 2035, it aims to:

The EU has increasingly emphasized strategic autonomy in advanced technologies, particularly in response to global supply chain volatility and regional security risks. The Proactif project

taps into these ambitions, promising to build homegrown capabilities in surveillance, automation, and AI-powered analytics.