Funding & Investment events

Canada's February 2026 Defence Industrial Strategy commits ~CAD $82 billion to defence over five years under a 'Build–Partner–Buy' framework, triggering a wave of new ITB obligations for every prime contractor winning eligible contracts over $100 million — making this the single most relevant annual gathering for companies navigating those commitments. For SMEs and startups, the conference is a direct pipeline to obligors actively seeking Canadian partners and flow-down recipients to satisfy ITB credits. Attendance provides unmatched access to the government officials and policy architects at ISED and the Defence Investment Agency who administer and are actively reforming the ITB Policy.

Your entry point into the EU defence innovation funnel (EUDIS, EDF). Strong fit for startups and SMEs that want EU-level visibility and follow-on funding pathways.

EDIF is one of the few European forums explicitly designed to convert operational frontline experience — particularly from Ukraine — into co-production agreements, procurement pipelines, and industrial partnerships, making it a direct route to Dutch and broader EU MoD decision-makers. For SMEs and startups, the curated B2B matchmaking and presence of investors and venture capital funds creates concrete pathways to funding, certification support, and integration into European supply chains. The forum's backing by national ministries, NIDV, and RVO gives participating companies direct access to government procurement officers and defence attachés in a single venue.

For defence and security suppliers, the Forum is the continent's most authoritative convening on African peace operations, counter-terrorism architecture, and post-conflict reconstruction — the policy decisions taken here directly shape AU-mandated mission procurement and security-sector reform budgets. SMEs and dual-use technology firms gain direct access to African heads of state, AU commissioners, and multilateral development bank officials who control the financing instruments for stabilization programmes. The Forum's published Aswan Conclusions feed into AU Peace and Security Council resolutions, making it an essential early-warning signal for emerging African security markets.

Concentrated room of NATO end users and dual-use investors. For investors it is curated deal flow; for founders it is a warm introduction to alliance customers.

Bridges EU grant funding with private capital. For investors it surfaces EU-vetted deal flow; for founders it de-risks the next private round.