Tech meets Defence

Welcome to Tech meets Defence: innovation without borders!

We are pleased to invite you to Tech meets Defence: Innovation without borders, a focused Dutch-German cross-border event taking place on 7 October 2025 at the Brightlands Smart Services Campus in Heerlen.

This event is specifically designed for startups, scale-ups, and SMEs interested in exploring international collaboration opportunities within the defence & security sector and dual-use technologies.

Focus Areas:

AI & Sensor Technology
Security & Critical Infrastructure
Advanced Materials

What you can expect:

Valuable insights into the European Defence Fund (EDF) by Paul Kruis.
A presentation by the German Ministry of Defense
A testimonial from Nedinsco about participating in EDF projects by Frank Puts
Thematic workshops where you can pitch your project ideas or expertise
1:1 matchmaking sessions to connect with potential cooperation partners

Join us as we explore the defence and security industry and their way of working.

Register now to secure your spot and join us for an inspiring experience!

Plenary programm: How does the European Defence Fund function

The plenary session will feature expert speakers providing valuable insights into the European Defence Fund (EDF). Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the fund’s objectives, funding opportunities, and participation requirements, as well as practical guidance on how to position their projects for success. This session will set the stage for informed discussions and targeted networking throughout the event.

Workshops

Participants will have the opportunity to present their projects, ideas, and concepts, and to engage with representatives from companies, SMEs, universities, and government organisations. The event aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, foster potential collaborations, and lay the groundwork for future EDF projects in the upcoming 2026 period.

Participate to:

Exchange and Meet your future partners
Initiate the setup of project consortia
Present, discuss and develop new project ideas at international level

If you want to pitch you can send us your ideas to one of the organizers before the 19 of September.

Use matchmaking as an easy way to make new contacts

Business collaborations start with a first contact!

About the B2B matchmaking

For your meetings onsite on October 7th you can make your own personal B2B Matchmaking agenda of meetings of 15 minutes. The personal agenda is time efficient and guides you in achieving relevant contacts and information! Meetings will take place in a dedicated area from 15.30h to 16.45h and will be arranged in advance by means of this website.

How does the B2B Matchmaking work?
All participants are by default registered for the 1:1 networking (signing-off possible). To request a 1:1 meeting with one of the participants you simply browse the participants list and identify good matches. Afterwards you send your meetings requests and add a line why a meeting would make sense. Once the recipient(s) accepts your request the meeting will be scheduled on a reserved table and next free timeslot on the event.

The networking is open before and during the event. After the event you can still stay in touch with other event participants via the integrated chat messaging.

How can you benefit from the matchmaking?

Publish and showcase your products, projects, services or business needs to event participants.
Initiate and arrange promising pre-scheduled 1:1 meetings at the event.
Generate fresh leads and meet new contacts in a time and cost-efficient way.
Stay one step ahead of your competitors by being seen and visibly present at the event.

So finish your profile and participate in the B2B matchmaking during Tech meets defence 2025!