The 2nd Luso-French Defence Industry Day took place on 20 and 21 January at the Embassy of France in Portugal, bringing together institutional and industrial stakeholders from Portugal and France. The initiative was organised by AICEP, in cooperation with Portuguese and French partners, with the objective of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the defence sector.
The programme included presentations by public and private entities from both countries. AICEP was represented by Joana Gaspar, Member of the Executive Board, who highlighted the main factors supporting Portugal’s attractiveness as an investment destination and provided an overview of the national defence industry ecosystem.
A total of 295 B2B and B2G meetings were held, promoting direct dialogue between companies and public authorities. Discussions focused on synergies between innovation and procurement programmes in Portugal and France, including the use of European instruments to support industrial cooperation.
Special attention was given to defence industrial supply chains and to the reasons why French defence companies may consider Portugal a competitive location for sourcing and investment. The agenda also included visits to the Portuguese companies OGMA-Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal, S.A., Beyond Vision and TEKEVER.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Lisbon, the DGA, GIFAS, GICAT and GICAN on the French side, and DGAPDN, EMGFA, AED Cluster Portugal, AICEP and idD Portugal Defence on the Portuguese side.