4th UK-UA Defence Tech Forum

Introduction

The war in Ukraine has totally redefined warfare and the defence industry's future globally. Since February 2022 Ukraine has become synonymous with defence innovation and the UK and Europe are actively modernising their defence capabilities with a strong focus on close collaboration with Ukraine.

Ukrainian and international defence tech companies are developing their technologies, not least in UAVs, EW tools, communication devices and robots, and their effectiveness is being proven on the frontline. Investment is being channelled to enable rapid scaling-up and the advancement of these technologies in order to speed up their deployment.

The Ukrainian and international defence tech VC ecosystems are growing and proactively investing in the most promising technologies and innovative companies. At the same time mainstream financial institutions’ exposure to defence and aerospace is steadily rising as investors recognise the need for a strong and technologically advanced defence industrial base.

The Forum has been convened to once more bring together all key stakeholders – government, technology developers and VCs – for a timely discussion on how to channel investment without delay to where it is most needed.

Background

Since May 2024 we have held 3 UK-UA Defence Tech Forums at RUSI in London, together with Kinstellar. The series of conferences was convened to enhance the collaboration between Ukrainian, British and international defence tech firms, together with the VC community, to scale up production and speed up R&D and new innovations.

We cooperate with the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK, UK Department for Business and Trade and the UK Ministry of Defence on the delivery of the events. Keynote speakers have included General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the Chief of the UK Defence Staff, Andy Start, UK National Armaments Director, and Major General Anna-Lee Reilly and other senior MOD and DBT officials. The forums have been supported by the Ukrainian government and military, with representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Brave1 clarifying Ukraine’s front line technology needs.

To produce tangible outcomes on each occasion we have brought 15 hand-picked leading Ukrainian defence tech companies to London to create partnerships with technology sector members of ADS Group and to meet with leading VCs.

Our Forums have attracted over 750 participants and registration had to be closed well in advance of each event. Attendees included the founders, senior executives and officials from leading defence tech companies, VCs and government departments.

Programme

08:30 Registration and morning refreshments
09:30 Session 1: Private Investment In Defence Innovation As A Vital Strategic Pillar Of International Security
- The impact of the landmark UK-UA agreement to share battlefield drone technology. How real-time battlefield data from Ukraine feeds directly into British production lines
- How close cooperation with Ukraine is helping deliver the goals of the UK Strategic Defence Review
- Expanding to longer-term joint capability development to achieve a deepening, future-focused security relationship
- Appraising early results of the Test in Ukraine programme
- Are Ukrainian government support initiatives proving successful in attracting international companies to invest in manufacturing facilities in Ukraine?
- The current situation regarding Ukrainian manufacturers’ ability to export production to allow them to further scale up, improve and speed up R&D and meet the government’s defence requirements
- Outlining the UK-Ukraine Defence Tech Production Hub
- The role of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) in delivering cutting-edge military technology at wartime pace by providing the critical mechanism to rapidly identify and procure innovative technology to support security and economic growth
11:00 Morning refreshments
11:30 Session 2: The Growth Of Defence Tech Cooperation Between UA, UK And International Companies
- Case studies of collaboration, including JVs and acquisitions of minority shareholdings, between Ukrainian and international defence tech companies
- Expectations for the BraveTech EU initiative and how the alliance intends to exchange regulatory experience, develop innovation, procure new technologies and utilise the wider industrial capacity
- The Defence City initiative as a means to encourage investment in defence manufacturing in Ukraine
- Encouraging collaboration to support innovation, research and the growth of emerging defence technologies
- Ensuring the cycle from development to deployment remains exceptionally dynamic. From frontline needs to scalable
- Establishing a local presence in Ukraine: building teams of engineers and technical specialists to enhance operational capabilities
- Achieving the switch to exclusively Ukrainian and European hardware and components
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Session 3: Financing Scalability And Innovation – The Role Of VC And Mainstream Financial Institutions In Developing And Growing The Ukrainian And International Defence Tech Ecosystem
- How to increase the amount of investment in Ukrainian defence technology
- Leveraging Ukraine’s extensive combat experience to develop dual-use platforms serving both defence and commercial applications
- To what extent is the defence / dual-use discussion a help or hindrance to financing of the development of the industry?
- Is the situation improving regarding access to certain types of capital (loans, credit, insurance)?
- Highlighting the opportunities for commercial dual-use companies to address the capability gaps
- Accessing more agile forms of capital: family offices, angels and VC Trusts
- Opportunities to back bigger-ticket late-stage investments
15:30 Afternoon refreshments
16:00 Session 4: Pitch Session - Showcasing Defence Tech And Dual-Use Companies From Ukraine
- How Ukraine’s emergence as a Defence Tech leader is reshaping supply chains and technological standards
- Is Ukraine on track to boost production levels of interceptor drones to meet requirements and is the funding in place?
- Priority and emerging technologies and categories:
Interceptor drones; Long=range missiles; Smart air defence systems; Anti-shahed systems; Autonomous drones not requiring network access; Drone guidance systems for deep strike operations; Space-based communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; Detection of and response to cyberattacks, neutralisation of neural networks, including disinformation, spoofing and attack models

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Introduction

Programme

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