Johns Hopkins University has become the world’s first university to partner with Innovation for Defense, a new initiative of NATO’s Innovation Hub. Also called I4D, the center, which is based in Norfolk, Virginia, aims to bring together a variety of partners to design solutions to challenges that NATO faces.

As part of the new partnership, students are working with NATO experts to tackle how health care—whether civilian or military—is delivered and managed in conflict zones. The students involved are part of the Whiting School’s Center for Leadership Education, which prepares them for leadership roles in the professional world through a variety of courses, minors, internships, graduate programs, networking opportunities, and hands-on experiences.

NATO officials hope to eventually establish such partnerships with universities in all 29 NATO countries.

“This is a pilot for us. What we are creating fresh at Hopkins will serve as a model for the others going forward,” says Serge Da Deppo, manager at NATO’s Innovation Hub.