European Conference on

Skills in the EU Defence Ecosystem

26 - 27 November 2024

Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Greece

About

The European Commission, in partnership with the Hellenic Manufacturers of Defence Materiel Association (SEKPY), proudly presents the 2nd European Conference on "Skills in the EU Defence Ecosystem."

This conference is organized under the auspices of the European Network of Defence-related Regions (ENDR), which is overseen by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). The event aims to promote collaboration among regional authorities, industry clusters, educational institutions, and other key stakeholders to exchange experiences and best practices in developing defence-related strategies and accessing EU funding. A particular focus will be placed on enhancing the capabilities and opportunities for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) within the sector.

This prestigious event will feature an engaging agenda, including opening remarks, keynote speeches from high-level officials—potentially at the ministerial level—expert panel discussions, specialized thematic sessions, and a networking reception. The conference will convene participants from a wide range of sectors, such as industry, research centers, academia, government bodies, and armed forces, creating a unique platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration on skills development within the defence industry.

Key Objectives of the Conference:

  • Building Partnerships with Educational Institutions:

Encourage collaboration between the defence industry and educational institutions to promote careers, internships, and apprenticeships in the sector. Align training programs with industry needs and foster joint research and development projects.

  • Facilitating Cross-Border Collaboration:

Promote the creation of cross-border training programs and the formation of consortia among educational and industry partners across EU Member States. Connect stakeholders to explore collaborations and access EU funding opportunities.

These objectives aim to drive innovation, cooperation, and skills development within the EU defence ecosystem.

Main Topics

  • Introduction and Skills Building Necessities
  • Skills Capacity Building Through Cooperation
  • Skills Importance
  • Skills Towards Innovation
  • Food For Thought and Way Ahead
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Speakers

We are excited to introduce the speakers for our event! Join us to hear industry experts share their experiences and ideas. It will be a great opportunity to learn and find inspiration!

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Mr. Anastasios Rozolis

President of SEKPY

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Mr. Anselmo MARTIN SEGOVIA

Policy Officer Defence, Directorate General Defence Industry and Space

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Mr. Konstantinos Gkioulekas

Deputy Minister of Macedonia and Thrace of the Hellenic Republic

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Mrs Hanna Olofsson

Chief of Staff, Swedish Security and Defence Industry Association

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Mr. Efstratios Simopoulos

Member of Parliament for A' Thessaloniki, President of the Special Permanent Committee on Research and Technology

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Mrs. Christina Wilen

European Commission, DG DEFIS, Policy Officer

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Mr. Sean White

Director of Industry, Synergies & Enablers, European Defence Agency

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Dr. Jorge-A. Sanchez-P.

Director of ESA BIC Greece and Chairman of the si-Cluster

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Mrs. Isabelle Desjeux

European Affairs Director at Safran Electronics & Defense

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Major General Ioannis BOURAS

General Director of General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments (GDDIA)

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Mr. Philippe Rosius

Head of Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC), European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)

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Mr. Markos Vasilikos

Member of Board of Directors and Executive Director, Hellenic Center for Defence Innovation S.A. (HCDI)

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Professor Karagiannidis Georgios

Professor of Digital Communication Systems, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

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Professor Dr. Tsanaktsidis Constantinos

Department of Chemical Engineering of UOWM

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Dr. Roxana Andrei

Integrated Researcher, Senior Expert in Energy Security & Hybrid Warfare at CEI-ISCTE, Portugal

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Mr. Jānis Atslens

Internatioanl Relations Lead Federation of Defence and Security Industry of Latvia

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Professor Alexander Chatzigeorgiou

Vice Rector of Extroversion and International Relations, University of Macedonia

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Dr. Liga Baltina

Head of Labour Market and Skills Research unit, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, ASSETs+ Coordination team member

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Professor Foteini Asderaki

Professor, Chair of the European and Security Defence College Doctoral School, Jean Monnet Chair

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Prof. Chrysostomos D. Stylios

Director of Industrial Systems Institute Athena Research Center

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Mr. Paul Mândraș

Senior Expert, Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre, Romania

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Dr. János Setényi

Director of the MCC (Mathias Corvinus Collegium) Learning Research , Hungary

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Mr. Antonios Boumpas

Commodore (ret) Hellenic Navy, Ex-Policy Officer DG DEFIS

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Dr. Theofilos Dimitriadis

Senior Defense & HLS Innovation Manager at iKnowHow S.A., Former Director of Defense Investments & Technological Research at the Hellenic General Directorate for Defense investments & Armaments

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Major General Panousis Georgios

Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Director of 6th Branch, Transformation, Innovation, Defense Technology

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Mr. Robert Pachner

President of DIAH (Defence Industry Association of Hungary)

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General Dimitrios Choupis

Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff

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Dr. Panayiotis Hadjipavlis

Director of Defence of the Directorate of General Procurement and Defence Capabilities Development, Ministry of Defence, Cyprus

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Mr. Karsten Lepper

Representative of the German Industry for Defence and Security to the EU, BDSV/BDI

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Mr. Antoine Feral

ASD Europe Skills Referent, EU Vice-president for Rolls-Royce

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Mr. Alkiviadis Thomas

CEO - ALTHOM GROUP

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Mr. Dimitrios Dimitriou

Rear Admiral LH (ret.), Msc in Design of Informations Systems (Cranfield UK), Naval & EU Projects Manager at MILTECH HELLAS SA, Member of HASDIG’s BoD

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Mr. Andrea Barbagelata

SMEs Counselor, Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD)

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Mrs Anna FIGURA

EDA, Head of Unit Human Resources

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Dr. Eri Toka

Head of the Technology Transfer Office, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

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Professor Dr. Stamatios Kalligeros

Professor at Hellenic Naval Academy, Director of Applied Mechanics and Marine Materials Sector

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Mr. Michalis Ketselidis

Senior Expert in Defence Industry and Space, European Commission

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Prof. Kyriakos Yakinthos

Vice-Rector for Research & Innovation,Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

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Mr. Stéphane CLAISSE

System Factory Director, Delegate Défense Angels Toulon Région Sud

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Mr. Hubert RAYMOND

Innovation and GENERATE Manager, Public Contracts Referent, French land and airland defence and security industry association (GICAT)

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Mr. Dimitrios Tzovaras

President of CERTH

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Colonel (ENG) Nikolaos Mengos

Defence R&D&I Director, Hellenic Center for Defence Innovation S.A. (HCDI)

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Colonel (INF) Nikolaos Chrysopoulos

Head of EDF Department, Directorate of Defence Investments & Technological Research/HMoND

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Mr. Vasileios Tsiamis

EY- Ernst & Young Partner, Head EU Policies & Access to EU funding & Incentives, Security and Defence Leader

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Mr. Eleftherios Andreadis

Policy Officer Industry Engagement and EU Policies, European Defence Agency

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Mr. Antonios Peppas

CEO of ETME

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Dr. Panayiotis Philimis

Vice-President of the Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises (CARIE), Founder and CEO of CyRIC - Cyprus Research and Innovation Center

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Mr. Sotirios Kokkinos

CEO FEAC Engineering

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Mr. Georgios Giannopoulos

Deputy Director & Head of Unit, European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre (JRC)

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Mr. Vasileios Tiriakidis

Chairman & Managing Director at B&T Composites

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Mr. Carlos Maio

Founder and CEO of QSR, Portugal

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Professor Leonidas Ntziachristos

Director of Lab of Applied Thermodynamics, Aristotle University Thessaloniki

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Mr. Florian Pennings

Associate Chief Cybersecurity and Operational Officer, European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)

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Lieutenant Commander Dionisios Christofilis

Hellenic Coast Guard

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Mrs. Anna Zachariadou

Head of SEKPY Brussels Office, Senior Defence and Security Officer

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Dr. George Kioumourtzis

Director, IANUS Technologies.com

Venue

Thessaloniki Concert Hall - Home (tch.gr)

Designed by the renowned architect Arata Isozaki, M2 Building | TCH adorns the city with a unique construction that epitomizes the virtues of modern architecture. Geometrical lines, extended glass surfaces and elements of steel compose an image of imposing simplicity, that comes as an antithetic, yet equivalent complement to the neighboring M1.

Registration

Register for the event European Conference on SKILLS IN THE DEFENCE SECTOR on November 26 and 27 2024

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