Brussels, 22 October 2021 (dpa/MIA) - Defence ministers from 17 NATO states have agreed to set up a fund to help develop new technologies by June next year. Amounting to at least 1 billion euros (1.16 billion dollars), the Innovation Fund will be invested in dual-use technologies that have a potential application for defence and security. "Together we will keep our people safe in a rapidly changing world," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday after a two-day defence ministers' meeting in Brussels. One example of such technology is hypersonic propulsion, which is also being developed by China and Russia. Others are autonomous aircraft and other robotic systems.