Hetti Barkworth-Nanton: Defence innovation is about protecting the vulnerable

War in Ukraine. Conflict in the Middle East. Daily cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. As geopolitical tensions spike, capital is flooding into defence, and even a growing number of universities are open to research in this space. Yet, money invested in security innovation is money not spent on global aid. So should we really be doing this? Hetti Barkworth-Nanton says yes. As the CEO of Ploughshare Innovations, the commercialisation arm of the UK’s Ministry of Defence, she’s positioned at the heart of this debate. But her other role, chair of Refuge, a charity supporting domestic abuse survivors, throws a spanner into easy answers. How could a grenade ever be good for children? Hetti has a concrete, surprising example. We explore the uncomfortable tensions and unexpected synergies between securing nations and protecting the vulnerable. Is investment in defence research a zero-sum game with humanitarian aid? Or is there a more nuanced story about how technology, ethics, and institutional responsibility intersect? Hetti unpacks the philosophy behind commercialising defence innovation, why universities should engage with this space, and what it really means to balance competing goods in an uncertain world.