The meeting took place in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, which, as the organisers and experts emphasised, is redefining the role of technology in Europe's security system. It was pointed out that modern conflicts are increasingly based on engineering solutions, unmanned systems, advanced electronics and digital technologies, and that technical universities are becoming a key element in the security chain.
The seminar brought together rectors and representatives of European technical universities, representatives of companies from the defence and dual-use technology sectors, student organisations and EU institutions responsible for research, education and security policy.
The discussions took place in three panels. The panel devoted to the involvement of technical universities in European defence plans was moderated by the rector of Lodz University of Technology, Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik. In his speech, he pointed out that Russian aggression does not only affect Ukraine, and incidents involving new technologies – such as the appearance of drones over European airports – show the real scale of contemporary threats. Prof. Jóźwik also stressed that close cooperation between the scientific community and the defence industry is essential in order to effectively develop tools to counter these challenges. A prerequisite for this cooperation is a better understanding of the needs, capabilities and specificities of both communities.
The other two panels were devoted to:
• dual-use technologies that strengthen defence capabilities,
• training engineers in cooperation with the defence industry.
Participants unanimously agreed that building a European security system requires close links between academic, industrial and institutional potential, as well as the use of innovations arising in both the civil and military sectors.