When? 25th of April 2023
Where? Vilnius, Lithuania

The unique opportunity to unearth what the most prominent Lithuanian defense and security industry players can do to strengthen Finnish value and supply chains.

Today the world is living in a different state of mind. After the pandemic hit us enormously, nobody wanted to even think that conventional war could be waged once again on the European continent.

Yet, the relentless and insane aggression by the Russian Federation in Ukraine showed once again that democracies must always be on the lookout and invest heavily in the defense and security domain to feel even remotely safe from outside threats.

The war in Ukraine has ushered in a new wave of defense investments in Europe and elsewhere. However, Lithuania shares a similar outlook with Finland towards outside threats from the East. Thus, our investments in defense have grown rapidly in recent history.

In Lithuania, we believe that regional cooperation is the backbone of building relationships that last and are not broken even during the toughest of times. In modern times Finland has built an incredible defense and security industry that could sustain the country even during aggression. For us, in Lithuania, this is a key example of how such an industry should be built and run. However, our cooperation in this could reach a new level if we invested time to learn about each other.

The Lithuanian government is investing heavily to procure as much as possible for our security needs from our companies. This way, our ecosystem grew. Right now, we have around 60 companies that are a part of the Lithuanian defense industry. Most of them are SMEs. A handful of companies are solely dedicated to producing products and services for military and security applications while others see this field as a potential breakthrough area.

One of the most important competencies in Lithuania is our capability to provide high-end photonic solutions for military and security applications. For example, Lithuanian-designed and manufactured thermal, night vision, and SWIR systems are at this very moment constantly used with precision by the Ukrainian soldiers in their fight against Russian invaders. Besides this, the Lithuanian defense industry is also strong in providing various ICT and engineering solutions.

While our industry is growing, we believe that it is still an untapped market for Finnish companies who are looking to strengthen their value chains or shorten the established supply chains.

This year Lithuania will host a third edition of the exclusive defense innovation event Baltic Miltech Summit. It will take place in Vilnius Lithuania on the 25^th of April 2023.

Baltic Miltech Summit is an international defense innovation conference. It will convene NATO and EU policymakers, stakeholders representing the defense and security industry and research bodies for discussions on how small countries can develop innovative defense ecosystems and how the industry can be the driver for technological change and innovation. The event will also convene the most important players of the local defense ecosystem who are looking for opportunities to widen their reach and progress in international markets.

The Baltic Miltech Summit could be the perfect opportunity for the Finnish industry to uncover what potential benefits our companies can provide them.

The Baltic Miltech Summit is a closed-door event where international corporations and established market players come to learn what Lithuanian and other Baltic countries’ defense and security industries can offer.

This event is only intended for industry and government representatives from NATO countries and their partners. Thus, it is a safe space to talk business with like-minded allies and friends.

The Summit’s agenda will consist of an international conference, a B2B matchmaking session, and a networking event in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the 25^th of April. Before the Conference, on the 24^th of April, we will host a Welcome Reception for all our international guests. We will dedicate this evening to the Lithuanian defense and security ecosystem stakeholders to let you better understand the landscape in Lithuania.

The next day on the 26^th of April, our partner event Live Firing Show will take place at Pabradė military base near Vilnius. It is a unique live demonstration of defense industry capabilities by international corporations and local companies. The most prominent Lithuanian defense innovations will be presented at the on-site exhibition.

The last Baltic Miltech Summit in 2021 attracted more than 500 participants from 30 different countries. This year we are expecting a heavy presence from Poland, Germany, France, and the USA. Thus, it is not only a great opportunity to learn about an untapped market but also to mingle with global defense and security industry representatives.

Additionally, the participating Finnish companies could potentially be able to meet with Lithuanian defense and security ecosystem stakeholders separately outside the framework of the Baltic Miltech Summit. This opportunity can be discussed separately.

Thus, we invite members of the Finnish defense and security industry to come on a fact-finding mission to uncover what Lithuania has to offer.

We hope that you will take this opportunity to learn, connect and network.

For further information, please contact anne.hatanpaa(a)chamber.fi