Trollhättan to Host National Defence Conference – Focus on Innovation and Industrial Capability
On 24–25 March, stakeholders from defence, industry, academia and the public sector will gather in Trollhättan for the conference Defence inWest. At a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty and a strengthened Swedish total defence, the conference will focus on how innovation, advanced production technology and collaboration can contribute to developing future defence capabilities. The choice of Trollhättan as host city reflects the region’s strong environment for industry-related research and testing facilities where new technology can quickly be translated into practical applications.
– The security situation in our surrounding world has changed rapidly and places new demands on both defence capability and industrial capacity in Europe. The Fyrbodal region has a strong combination of advanced industry, research and test environments where new solutions can be developed and implemented in practice. This type of collaboration is crucial to strengthening both Sweden’s and Europe’s resilience, says Anna Lärk Ståhlberg, Director, Fyrbodal Municipal Association.
Over two days, decision-makers, companies, researchers, industry representatives and actors from the defence sector will meet to discuss how Swedish innovation capacity can help strengthen both military capability and supply resilience. The programme includes speakers from authorities and the defence sector, as well as leading industrial companies and research environments.
Opportunities to Contribute
An important part of the conference is also to open the door for more industrial companies to contribute to the development of future defence systems. Through Defence inWest, companies in the Fyrbodal region and Västra Götaland are invited to gain a better understanding of the needs of the Swedish Armed Forces and the opportunities to contribute with technology, products or expertise – either directly or as suppliers within existing industrial value chains.
For many companies, this may involve so-called dual-use solutions, where technologies and innovations developed for civilian applications can also be used within the defence sector. Others may contribute as subcontractors to established actors in the defence industry.
Technology, Expertise and Production
The Fyrbodal region has a strong industrial base with several companies connected to the defence sector, including GKN Aerospace and Combitech in Trollhättan. There is also well-established collaboration between industry, academia and the public sector, not least at the Production Technology Centre (PTC), where companies and researchers from University West develop and demonstrate advanced production technologies that are increasingly relevant for defence applications.
– In western Sweden there are many companies with the technology, expertise and production capacity to contribute to the development of future defence systems, often through innovations that also have civilian applications or as suppliers within global industrial value chains. We are pleased to bring together so many important actors from industry, research, defence and the public sector at the same time in Trollhättan, says Robin Mashallah, Investment Advisor, Business Region Väst.
Read more about the conference, programme and speakers here:
https://innovatum.confetti.events/defence-in-west/program-25-mars