A group of European defence integrators and photonics clusters will meet for the second time at the Business Round Table for Photonic Sensors, covering defence, environment and security, is Tallinn, Estonia, on 8 September.
The mission of the event is to create business relationships between photonics SMEs who leaders in sensor innovations, and technology integrators who are seeking specific capabilities and performance for defence and security systems. Interested defence systems manufacturers and photonics clusters are invited to join this initiative.
Jean-Francois Coutris, vice president of Sagem Defence and Security, who has contributed to the organisation of this initiative, said: 'SMEs are strong in technology innovation. They are both agile and inventive and can work on developments that larger industries could not afford to invest in. We must facilitate the development of these SMEs are crucial to our competitive position.'
Tom Pearsall, secretary general of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), also a partner in the organisation, added: 'The defence majors, like MBDA and Sagem, are strong in technology integration. They have the resources and the know-how for integrating new technology into reliable and performant systems, coupled with a good view of market opportunities.'
The event will be hosted by the Baltic Photonics Cluster. SMEs will be invited to present innovations in sensor technology, while defence integrators will discuss needs for sensing systems.
