Programme
Symposium Workshops & Networking | September 21
Pre-registered workshops at Energy Discovery Centre (building connected to the main venue)
data readiness, testing/certification, safety, counter-autonomy, integration
ISR/communications/PNT, data sharing, service models
Predictable demand from the government, multi-year procurement contracts, long-term supply chain resilience, funding mechanisms.
Symposium “Next in Defence: Autonomy, Space & Industrial Readiness” | September 22
Narrative
The symposium, held as part of Estonian Defence Week, brings together Estonian and allied defence industry policymakers, investors, and end-users, as well as defence and internal security partners. The aim is to identify opportunities and accelerate real cooperation projects, investments, and potential business agreements.
The 2026
Focus is on three closely interconnected axes: developments in autonomous systems, the space domain as the “backbone” of next-generation capabilities, and defence industry readiness for growing demand.
The core question of the symposium is: how to integrate autonomous technologies into future capability development and space technologies into defence capability that moves from rapid prototype to production and on to the end user.
- “AI-ready defence industry”: what does AI readiness mean in production and development (data, models, quality, cybersecurity, export control).
- Human-machine teaming: how to shape the division of labour between humans and machines (decision logic, safety, responsibility).
- Edge AI and “contested environment”: reliability, electronic warfare and GPS jamming topics.
- Autonomous systems and counter-autonomy: UxV, drone swarms, countermeasures.
Topics: verification/validation, standardisation/interoperability, integration with NATO systems, data sharing.
Participants: end-user + industry + cyber/safety + investor.
Lunch in the food tent and in Õuetorn.
Space as a Defence Capability Layer:
- ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance)
- Communications, PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing),
- Situational Awareness
ESA European Space Agency, Senior Security Adviser to ESA DG,
Director General’s Services
- Regional industrial cooperation: how to bring foreign partners to Estonia/Nordics and Baltics to manufacture/develop.
- Investor perspective: defence technology funds, risk, growth, procurement and export logic.
- Integrating innovation into the defence industry: from problem to integration.
- What measures accelerate industry-government cooperation?: the goal of changing defence procurement principles must be flexibility, speed, and supply chain security.
- How to involve industry in capability development from the start?: Cooperation must take place already in the early stage of capability development.
Summary and “next steps”
The central event of EDW is the Tallinn Defence Exhibition (22–25 September at Cultural Hub), featuring more than 100 leading companies from Estonia and abroad and enabling direct engagement between suppliers, investors, and public-sector stakeholders
Venue: Tallinn Creative. Hub, Kursi 3, Blackbox and side halls
Opening hours: 22 September 9:00 - 16:00
*Please note: attending this event does not give you entry to other events scheduled for this week. The only exception is the access to the Tallinn Defence EXPO which is included in your symposim registration.
Sponsors
Supporters
Organisers
EDW 2025 Highlights
Join us at Estonian Defence Week (EDW)
The Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel)
Kursi tn 3, Tallinn