The second EDF Workshop, organised by VIKI and the Ministry of Defence took place on April 4, 2024. The event was announced for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as research institutes, and aimed to familiarise participants with the European Defence Fund (EDF) 2024 calls for proposals to ensure successful Hungarian participation.
The event was opened by Balázs Hendrich, deputy CEO of VIKI. In his speech, he presented VIKI’s operations and the achivements since its establishment one year ago. He emphasied that industrial development cannot occur without innovation, and the goal is for Hungary to play a central regional role in Europe, which requires the sharing of knowledge.
“VIKI aims to assist businesses. Knowledge from alliance systems – both EU and NATO – needs to be transferred to the military ecosystem, including universities, research institutes and businesses. Our goal is to enable more companies to contribute to the development of the domestic defence industry using dual-use technologies.” – said Balázs Hendrich, deputy CEO.
Information was provided by Dr. András Levente Balog, Hungarian national EDF liaison and head of the Hungarian delegation to the EDF Programme Committee, Bernadett Petri, Ministerial Commissioner for the Coordination of the Use of Direct EU Funds, Colonel Bárány Mihály, VIKI EDF expert and national EDF liason deputy and Ármin Ladányi, Managing Director of EuroAtlantic Brussels Office.
Other presentations were given by András Benczúr from Hun-Ren Research Network, Anett Mádi-Nátor from CyEx Ltd. and Ferenc Mátyás from Coninest Ltd. In their speeches, they shared their consortium experiences, insights and the support network VIKI provided, which contributed to successful applications.
In his closing speech, Colonel Deme László, VIKI’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer stated: “VIKI is approached by numerous foreign companies and consortia aiming to establish partnerships. During this networking process, we pay special atttention to the integration of domestic companies into the international environment.”
