The forum serves as a platform for fostering international cooperation and advancing defence innovation informed by Ukraine’s battlefield experience. According to the organisers, this year’s event will be held in an expanded format. The programme will feature strategic discussions involving senior officials, a defence technology exhibition, thematic sessions, a start-up competition, business meetings, and direct dialogue among representatives of government, industry, and the investment community.
“Today, the line between the civilian and defence sectors is becoming increasingly blurred. The technologies, capital, expertise, and talent we need already exist. The main task is to bring them together and turn innovation into real capabilities. That is why EDIF is returning for a second time, in a larger and even more international format. We aim to build an ecosystem in which European governments, industry, investors, and Ukraine’s battlefield experience can interact effectively,” said EDIF co-founder Natalia Nakonechna.
The forum’s two-day programme will cover key areas of defence capability development, including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, unmanned ground systems, space technologies, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), UAV production and deployment, ammunition manufacturing, and air defence.
Particular attention will be paid to how Ukraine’s practical battlefield experience can help strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities.
“Europe needs to strengthen its defence capabilities, and it needs to do so faster. The Netherlands aims to play a leading role in this process by deepening cooperation between government and industry, expanding cooperation with Ukraine, and learning from its battlefield experience to accelerate innovation and enhance Europe’s defence readiness,” said Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.
Read also: NSDC: 18 Ukrainian companies have received permits to export weaponsEDIF 2026 will also feature an exhibition showcasing technologies and solutions across various defence sectors, with more than 50 Ukrainian and European defence companies exhibiting their products.
As Ukrinform previously reported, the first European Defence Innovation Forum (EDIF) was held in the Netherlands in autumn 2025. As part of the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Netherlands-based Battlefield Resilience Foundation (BRF) and the Ukrainian initiative DefTechCluster.
File photo provided by Lera Manzovitova
