The New Era of European Borders and Defence Innovation
23. September, 13:00 - 24. September, 14:00
📅 Date: 23–24 September 2026
📍 Venue: Häme EU Office, Square de Meeûs 1, Brussels, Belgium
Estonian Research Council and Enterprise Estonia together with the Lithuanian RDI Liaison Office, Finnish Häme EU Office and Slovak Liaison Office for Research and Development in Brussels (SLORD), are pleased to invite you to a matchmaking and networking event focused on the future of European borders and defence innovation.
Europe’s security environment is changing rapidly. The protection of our borders, critical infrastructure and societies increasingly depends on our ability to combine research excellence, technological innovation and strong European cooperation.
At the same time, Horizon Europe Cluster 3 and the European Defence Fund are creating important opportunities to develop and deploy solutions in areas such as border management, security technologies, resilience, situational awareness, dual-use technologies and defence innovation.
But great ideas alone are not enough. The right partners can make the difference between an interesting concept and a successful European project.
That is what this event is about.
Over two days, the event will combine expert input, matchmaking, project discussions and informal networking to create the conditions for meaningful collaboration.
Matchmaking Call Topics:
- HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-BM-01: Open topic on research and innovation for effective management of EU external borders that promotes fundamental rights and EU values
- HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-BM-02: Trusted, secure, quality future digital travel credentials
- HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-BM-03: Detection and characterisation of threats or illegal/smuggled goods in cargo
Whether you are a researcher looking for new international collaborations, a company developing innovative technologies, a public-sector organisation with a real-world challenge, or a stakeholder looking to build a strong European consortium, this event is designed to help you find the connections you need.
The aim is simple: leave the event with more than just new contacts. We want participants to leave with concrete ideas, potential partners, new perspectives and, ideally, the foundations of a future European consortium.
We encourage you to join us, and to bring your ideas, questions and partnership needs with you.
Programme September 23-24
Registrationis open until 20 September: Register here!
We would also greatly appreciate it if you could share this information with colleagues, researchers, companies and other partners who may be interested in building the next generation of European border and defence innovation projects.
We look forward to bringing the right people together — and seeing what can emerge when excellent ideas meet the right European partners.
Participation in the event can be supported through funding measure for participation in “Horizon Europe” brokerage events. Support measure for participation in ‘Horizon Europe’ brokerage events – ETAG
In case of any further questions, please contact:
Carmen Kivistik, PhD
Head of Estonian Research Council´s Brussels Office
carmen.kivistik@etag.ee
