The European Perspective for the emerging Cypriot Defence Industry
In the third episode of the third season of the DEFENCE ReDEFiNED Podcast, the President of the Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises (CARIE), Dr. Tasos Kounoudes, and the Senior Officer of the European Defence Agency – External Support and Funds, Mr. Elias Hadjikoumis, discussed, among others, about the Cypriot Defence Industry, the US – EU – Cyprus relations and the benefits of collaborations with third countries.
The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an Organisation founded in 2004 that aims to facilitate the development of the Defence sector among member-states. The way the Organisation does this is by providing its expertise and knowledge to cover the cooperation among the members.
The Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises (CARIE) is an association founded in 2010 looking for the promotion of Research and Innovation in enterprises. It counts with 45 members currently working on innovation projects worth 30€ million, contributing over 500€ million to the domestic economy by exporting both services and products. In 2019, a separate cluster was created within the association for companies specified in the Defence sector. This separate cluster will consist of 30 Cypriot companies designing and developing dual-use goods and technology intended for civilian and military use. This cluster has found its way in the European defence ecosystem by participating in 17 joint planning and developing programmes worth 175 million euros. These programmes are extremely competitive and very important for the European Union itself.
The goal of the Defence subsection of the CARIE is to become part of the supply chain by producing systems or subsystems of larger defence systems and eventually become co-producers once the product is released to the market. This is a long-term effort that would be achieved by the participation in overlapping programmes that would cover the entire production cycle of the product, from design and development to inspection and production. Ultimately, the goal is to prove both to themselves and decision-makers what they can do, so that a defence policy that takes into consideration the domestic capability is issued.
Mr. Hadjikoumis said that the Cypriot defence industry could be further reinforced by strengthening human resources, reducing rotations so that the acquired knowledge is not lost. He highlighted that academic institutions should invest in Defence studies. The main focus of these studies should be on developing defence capabilities. Additionally, when new military equipment is purchased, it is important to also acquire the technical knowledge (know-how) behind that equipment – not just buy it but learn how to develop and use it independently. Lastly, international collaborations in defence research and development should be strengthened, meaning countries and institutions should work more closely together to share knowledge and resources.
Finally, the two guests focused on the benefits of the “BATTLEFIELD ReDEFiNED 2023” International Defence and Security Conference for Cypriot defence companies, saying that it is important to have a space where agencies and entities can network, exchange ideas, make suggestions and showcase products.
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