AI Summit 2025 Budapest

Dr. Gergely Németh

CEO
Defence Innovation Research Institute

Gergely Németh is a futurist and Director of Defense Innovation with two decades of experience in the defense sector and international diplomacy. Over the past decade, he has led the development of numerous strategic processes and documents that have shaped long-term defense innovation and force development both in Hungary and within NATO. These include the Hungarian Defence Forces Capability Concept (2017), the National Security Strategy (2020), the National Military Strategy (2021), and the NATO Strategic Foresight Analysis (2023), the latter developed during his service in the United States. This document has since become mandatory or recommended reading in several NATO member states’ leadership courses on foresight and strategic development.

Before assuming senior leadership positions, he worked on various force development programs within the Hungarian General Staff and Ministry of Defence. He also represented Hungary on the NATO Defence Policy and Planning Committee (DPPC), where he contributed to key NATO initiatives, including the Defence Investment Pledge (2014) and the Readiness Action Plan (2016), which continue to shape European defense sectors. He played a diplomatic role in the establishment of several NATO commands in Hungary and led efforts to harmonize NATO and Hungarian force development plans.

Following his NATO assignment, he held several high-level positions, including Deputy National Armaments Director (2018–2019), Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy (2019–2022), and Head of Strategic Foresight (Futures) at NATO Allied Command Transformation (2022–2024).

Since September 1, 2024, he has served as CEO of the Defense Innovation Research Institute (VIKI).

Dr. Németh holds a PhD in military science and a master’s degree in defense policy from the Faculty of Military Science at the University of Public Service (Hungary). He also completed the Executive National Security Program at George Washington University (2024) and earned a certificate in Foresight Studies from the University of Houston (2023).

He is a member of the Global Foresight Network of the World Economic Forum, which includes 80 leading futurists worldwide, and for the past two years, he has served as chair of the annual conference of the "Futures" working group at the US Army West Point Social Sciences Seminar. From 2025, he will serve as Scientific Vice President of the Hungarian Association of Military Science.

He is a recipient of the French National Order of Merit.

He is married to a wonderful wife and is the proud father of three energetic children.

His hobbies include hiking, war games, and model building.

He currently serves as the CEO of the Defense Innovation Research Institute (VIKI).