European Investment Fund (EIF)’s Post

📌 NB! Save the date! Without doubt, defence innovation is something that none of us can overlook. Especially in today’s 🌍, where the need for cooperation of North Atlantic allies is more acute than ever! For this purpose, the NATO countries – including 🇪🇪 – have initiated the💰1bn NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), which fosters investments into dual-use technologies. Book your 🗓️ and come join us on January 23rd – details to be followed – to discuss on where we are today in regards of defence innovation and investing in dual-use technologies and what to expect from tomorrow. Together with NIF Investment Manager Kelly Chen, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about NIF and investing in dual-use technologies. #natoinnovationfund #smartcap 

[EVENT] Yesterday we attended the high-level event European Defence & Security Summit (#EDSS2024), co-organised by the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and European Business Summit (EBS).   The conference brought together heads of state, representatives of EU organisations and agencies, experts from academia and the defence industry, NATO officials and media representatives to discuss European defence and security in the context of current geopolitical tensions. 🛡🇪🇺   Among others distinguish speakers, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas offered insightful comments on the future of EU defence and the progress made so far. Some of their contributions can be found below.   💡Do you know ASD and EBS? Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) is the voice of European Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries, representing over 4,000 companies from 20 countries, promoting and supporting the competitive development of the sector in Europe.   European Business Summit (EBS) is an organisation that creates and supports thematic networking and debating summits in Brussels, to bridge the gap between business and politics, fostering discussions on the most challenging European issues.

A few weeks ago, in Brussels, the European Union presented a text on the new European defence industrial strategy. In response to current challenges, EDIS aims to strengthen the competitiveness and responsiveness of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). The main objective of this European initiative is to strengthen collaboration between European states in the defence field, following years of under-investment and fragmentation between countries, increasing dependencies. EU Member States aim to be able to produce more and faster in the defence industry. There are many areas of application, including air, space, cyber and maritime defence awareness and capabilities. The European Union's solutions to achieve its aims : - Investing more and intelligently - Supporting investment in responsive production capacities - Mainstreaming a defence readiness culture - Teaming-up with strategic like-minded and international partners - Financing the union's ambition for defence industrial readiness Read our latest articles : https://bit.ly/3Vtzd2k #europe #defence #strategy #industry #EDIS #EDTIB #EU

Publication of #EDIS tomorrow/05 March 2024 expected   So tomorrow/05 March 2024 is the day and the Commission/DG Defis wants to publish the communication on the European Defence Industry Strategy/#EDIS. As far as is known, it will be called: “A New European Defence Industry: Achieving EU readiness through a responsive and resilient European Defence Industry”.   According to reports, the aim is to become more defence-ready and promote a stronger and more resilient European DTIB, expand and make better use of financial resources (better, togther, European), ensure availability through an industry that can respond under all conditions, improve readiness and resilience in general and expand partnerships, particularly with NATO. The topic of access to finance is also particularly emphasised. An ambitious and target orientated objective.   Ultimately, the decisive factor will be what is done with it (by all those involved). So let's be curious to see what the #EDIS itself and the follow-up measures, including a European Defence Industry Programme/#EDIP, will bring. Stay tuned. BDSV - Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie BDI - Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V. Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) European Commission

Great days at Rikskonferensen on security and defense in Sälen, hosted by Folk och Försvar. I feel privileged that I got the opportunity to speak about the telecommunications perspective together with Dan Sjoblom, during the block about "How to lead Sweden in war and crisis?". Two aspects that I highlighted in the presentation and hope to discuss more going forward are: 👉The collaboration between operators and authorities works well but could be even better if we worked closer together on a strategic level. For example, discussions about what types of traffic and activities we should prioritize in times of crisis, and how security requirements should be implemented. 👉Nordic collaboration is more important than ever in the light of a Nato membership. I firmly believe that the Nordic countries should work together to further strengthen the robustness of our Telecommunication networks, and currently there are obstacles to fully do so. Thank you Folk och Försvar for an interesting and well-organized conference! …you can watch the presentation here: https://lnkd.in/d9HNw2uc

Just a few weeks ago, the European Defence Fund (EDF) announced the results of the 2023 calls for proposals, allocating over 1 billion Euros of EU funding to support 54 collaborative European defense R&D projects. On June 20th, the 2024 calls for proposals will open, providing another significant boost for defense cooperation in Europe. #EuropeanDefense #RandD #Collaboration #DefenseIndustry

Yesterday took place the first EU-Ukraine Defence Industries Forum in Brussels, a key initiative under the new European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS). This gathering marks a significant advancement in strengthening the EU's defence ties with Ukraine, showcasing the commitment to sustained support and #cooperation. Here few highlights: - Significant presence of EU companies, demonstrating a united front in addressing the complex needs of #defence and #security. - Focus on overcoming #industry challenges, especially in ensuring sustained support and integrating the Ukrainian defence sector into the European Defence #Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). - New avenues for #SMEs through business-to-business engagements, crucial for fostering #innovation and #adaptability. As we continue to face challenging times, this forum is a testament to the power of strategic #partnerships. Looking forward to seeing the impact of our collective efforts on European and global security.

📢”Innovation is not just about technology. It is about technology, people and processes." In this #NITECH article, the inaugural Chair of NATO - Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), Barbara McQuiston, answers fundamental questions about: 💡DIANA's goals and priorities 💡Key technologies DIANA will pursue 💡Project and programme funding Read the answers on pages 34-37 👉 http://bit.ly/nitech9 #MagazineMonday

Unity & Urgency: PESCO's Path Forward in Modern Defense. Joint ventures like PESCO are testaments to Europe's commitment to fortifying its stance in the evolving military theatre. From my vantage point, it's laudable to see how #PESCO has endeavoured to harmonise military capabilities across its Member States in the last six years. Operationally speaking, the traction made by the European Medical Command and the Cyber Rapid Response Teams reaching FOC is a testament to the robust nature of this cooperation. However, as with any complex, multinational initiative, "time is of the essence." It's crucial to recognise that while these projects showcase technological and strategic prowess, the temporal aspect remains a challenge. It is somewhat disconcerting to note that, despite being in operation for almost six years, a considerable portion of projects will only achieve FOC by 2025. In the dynamic world of military advancements, such temporal gaps could be detrimental. High Representative Borrell's emphasis on avoiding siloed operations is spot-on. Unity of command and unity of effort, principles deeply embedded in military doctrines, must prevail. Silos lead to fragmented actions, which any seasoned military strategist would affirm, is not conducive to the agile and responsive defence the EU aspires for. The war in Ukraine and the challenges in the Sahel region underscore the urgency of having operational capabilities, rapid deployment, and adaptability. As PESCO continues to evolve, it would be prudent to emphasise developing capabilities and ensure they can be fielded expediently. Lastly, regarding performance indicators, Metrics have always been central in military operations - from measuring sortie rates to assessing logistic lines. Introducing them into PESCO's evaluation framework would be a strategic move, providing tangible benchmarks for success and areas of improvement. While the strides made by PESCO are commendable, it is essential to couple this enthusiasm with a renewed urgency. In the words of a military adage, "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast," but in the evolving theatre of warfare, Europe needs to be both smooth and swift. #EUdefence #EU2023ES #defence #cooperation #defenceindustry #EU #finabel #sahel #ukraine

I'm delighted to share that my piece on Japan's potential membership in Pillar II (Technology Pillar) in AUKUS on the East Asia Forum. For effective deterrence against China, it is essential to secure allied technological superiority in advanced capabilities such as hypersonic. I argue that by joining AUKUS Pillar 2, Japan and other members can complement each other’s capability gaps and leverage economies of scale to rapidly improve their technological competitive edge against China. Furthermore, It will also facilitate the long-desired internationalization of Japan’s defense industry, especially in terms of standardization of its defense equipment. #AUKUS #Defense #Japan https://lnkd.in/eMHmkFek