Building Polish-Dutch consortia for the European Defence Fund

One of the three days was spent entirely at the Warsaw University of Technology. The event was opened by Vice-Rector for Development, Prof. Adam Woźniak. In the morning session, Polish and Dutch teams presented their technological potential in short, pitch-style presentations. In the afternoon, a matchmaking session was held at CEZAMAT, enabling participants to evaluate the potential of specific research teams for joint defence-sector projects.

"Warsaw University of Technology aspires to be a major centre for developing technical solutions in the field of security and defence systems," said Prof. Adam Woźniak during the opening session. "Our strength lies in 20 faculties and several hundred research teams conducting advanced research in defence technologies. We have developed numerous innovative solutions, which we showcase each year at the International Defence Industry Exhibition, where they attract significant interest."

Poland's defence industry capabilities and strategic development goals for the coming years were presented on behalf of the Ministry of National Defence by Col. Michał Żołnierowicz, Deputy Director of the Innovation Department. The Dutch perspective was introduced by Fons van der Ham and Dominic van Rens from the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands.

The day at WUT was distinctly practical in nature. All programme elements were designed to connect teams capable of jointly developing advanced projects under the European Defence Fund. During two-minute presentations, more than 30 teams showcased their key technological competencies and specified the type of partners they were seeking for EDF consortia. The carefully pre-arranged afternoon matchmaking session provided an opportunity for one-on-one discussions about needs, resources, and future collaboration.

"The EDF finances research and development of innovative defence technologies and joint armament projects of EU Member States," explained Justyna Choińska-Jackiewicz, Head of Business Development at the WUT Innovations Centre. "One of its current priorities is increasing the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in R&D projects. That is why so many technology startups were part of the Dutch delegation. For us, researchers and engineers at WUT, Dutch companies specializing in dual-use technologies are excellent partners capable of scaling our solutions to an industrial level."

The Dutch business mission was coordinated by the Polish Ministry of National Defence, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Poland, and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa. The organisers hope to see the first tangible results of this cooperation next year on the list of projects funded by the European Defence Fund.