Defence4Tech Hub

The defence economy plays an important role in economic development: it encompasses a large variety of sectors; its products display a high technological content; most of its solutions are dual-use, as they can be applied both in the military and civilian realms. Therefore, the defence economy has a cross-cutting and significant impact on the digitalization of the economy and the society.
Defence4Tech (D4T) gathers a public agency, a cluster manager, universities and research centres, and the armed forces research centres to promote the digitalization of the defence economy, in particular SMEs, which are at the core of the Portuguese economy.
D4T will have as its centerpiece a platform that will be a showcase for the services provided, and for the training activities offer. It will also work as a matchmaking tool and a hub for the dissemination of relevant information.
Several other activities will be implemented to enlarge the scope of potential beneficiaries.
Test before invest activities will be integrated in a broader line of services to support digital products development. This includes support to product specification, product development, simulation and validation, prototyping and operational experimentation and testing in real environment.
Promoting skills and training will also be a relevant activity, as the consortium integrates two engineering universities and other entities with experience in providing specialized training in digital skills.
Activities to promote innovation in the ecosystem and networking but also to support investment finding are part of the mission of the public agency and the cluster manager that integrate the consortium.
D4T activities are in line with other national, European and NATO policies. Several MoU with other EDIH that provide a high complementarity were established and partnerships with other entities will be developed.