A conference devoted to the industrial, technological and economic foundations of national security will bring together arms manufacturers, military officials, public administration and researchers. The Industry for Defence (Przemysł dla obronności) event is set for 14 October at the International Congress Centre in Katowice, and organisers are still accepting sign-ups.
The meeting is organised as part of the New Industry Forum (Forum Nowego Przemysłu) and forms its natural extension. Its stated purpose is not another discussion about geopolitics, military strategy or the modernisation of the armed forces, but a conversation about how to actually build an industry capable of serving defence – modern, innovative and able to meet the security needs of the state as well as its European partners.
Participants will include representatives of the defence industry, the military, public administration, the financial sector and research and development centres. That mix is meant to turn rising security requirements into economic growth, investment, innovation and new competitive advantages for Polish manufacturers.
Local content, financing and the place of Polish firms
The agenda covers local content, technology transfer, the financing of investment, the expansion of production capacity and the development of industrial competences. A separate thread concerns the position of Polish enterprises in domestic and European value chains, which is where the practical effects of large procurement programmes are decided.
Organisers also intend to focus on how civil companies can be used more effectively, on the growth of the dual-use economy and on cooperation linking industry, science and the army. These three areas are treated as the backbone of a system that can deliver equipment and technology on time and at scale.
Ammunition, unmanned systems and digital tools in focus
At the centre of the debate will be the question of how to use the unprecedented scale of defence spending to build lasting industrial competences. Specific topics include the development of ammunition production, electronics, unmanned systems and advanced digital technologies, as well as ways to raise the share of Polish companies in the implementation of strategic security programmes.
Registration for the conference remains open, though the window is closing ahead of the October date. The venue is the International Congress Centre in Katowice, the same city that hosts the wider New Industry Forum, which the defence-focused event complements rather than duplicates.
Źródło: WNP, Fot. PTWP
