The Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability (DPRTE) 2019 is primed to allow SMEs to discover their place in the UK’s £19 billion defence marketplace.
The exhibition will be held on 28 March 2019 at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre and is considered the UK’s leading annual defence procurement and supply chain event.
Held across a single day, DPRTE offers a unique opportunity to showcase goods and services, as well as the chance to engage directly with both the key personnel and organisations responsible for setting strategy and operationally delivering an annual budget of over £19 billion. The event will host a Buyer Engagement Village, offering delegates the chance to meet buyers and suppliers, network with colleagues and make new contacts and connections.
With MOD spending plans outlining £178 billion of investment in new technology and equipment between 2016 and 2026 and a commitment to meet NATO’s target of spending 2% of national income on defence every year until 2020, the majority of DPRTE attendees are SMEs seeking to grow their businesses by tapping into the varied supply chain requirements of the modern defence sector.
Exhibitors and official event partners this year include MOD Defence and Security Accelerator, Crown Commercial Service, and Cyber Protection Partnership as well as a host of other high-profile organisations in the defence sector supply chain.
The event’s speakers include Jim Carter, Commercial Director, Supply Chain, Ministry of Defence; Dr Lucy Mason, Head of Defence and Accelerator (DASA) and Jacqui Rock, Commercial Director for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).
Professor Trevor Taylor, Professional Research Fellow in Defence Management at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) will then give his take on the role of AI within defence acquisition.
Tracy Buckingham, Head of Operations and Security Exports, DIT DSO will then provide an overview of defence and security exports.
Bringing things to a close will be Soldier, Adventurer, Leader -Ant Middleton – best known for his role as Chief Instructor on hit show, ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’. Ant will deliver a session on leadership and teambuilding.
Attendees at the exhibition will be also able to access a series of training sessions at the Technology & Innovation Knowledge Transfer Zone, which will provide participants with an insight into the latest developments and opportunities in this crucial area.
By encouraging collaboration across industry, academia and allies the aim is to boost the competitive advantage of UK defence and find swift answers to the most pressing national security questions from across sectors.
Last few stands remaining – call 0845 270 7066 or email exhibitions@dprte.co.uk to discuss the remaining opportunities.
For more information visit www.dprte.co.uk
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