The Czech-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce was pleased to be invited to participate in the DEFENCEO conference, held in the inspiring setting of the Škoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav.
The venue itself carried strong symbolic value. As one of the most important places connected with Czech industrial history, automotive excellence and technological development, the Škoda Museum provided an ideal background for a conference focused on the future transformation of Czech manufacturing towards defence, dual-use technologies and strategic resilience.
The Chamber was represented by its President, Michaela Macharik, who was invited to participate in the event and present the Chamber’s perspective on Czech-Ukrainian industrial cooperation, especially in areas connected with dual-use, defence-related industries and European security resilience.
The event brought together an impressive 252 participants, including owners, CEOs, managing directors and senior executives of Czech industrial companies interested in diversifying their manufacturing activities towards the defence sector.
The conference focused on practical pathways for Czech manufacturing companies to enter defence supply chains, explore dual-use technologies, access financing instruments, develop technological innovation and learn from the experience of leading Czech defence players.
For many Czech industrial companies, especially those with strong backgrounds in automotive, engineering and advanced manufacturing, the defence sector represents a growing opportunity. The current security situation in Europe clearly shows the need to build stronger industrial capabilities, increase production resilience and develop closer cooperation between trusted partners.
This is also highly relevant for Czech-Ukrainian cooperation. Ukraine has gained unique practical experience in innovation, fast adaptation, battlefield-driven technology development and resilient production under extremely difficult conditions. Combined with Czech industrial know-how, engineering quality and manufacturing tradition, this creates strong potential for future cooperation.
During the event, the Chamber had the opportunity to highlight several members of the Czech-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce who are already active in dual-use, defence-related and resilience-focused industries.
Their experience demonstrates that Czech and Ukrainian companies can jointly contribute to strengthening Europe’s security, industrial independence and technological competitiveness. Cooperation between Czech industrial capacity and Ukrainian practical experience can create new opportunities in areas where speed, flexibility, innovation and implementation capability are decisive.
The strong turnout at DEFENCEO clearly confirmed the growing interest of Czech industry in defence transformation, dual-use innovation and cooperation with Ukraine. It was encouraging to meet many innovative companies and discuss concrete opportunities within the broader European defence ecosystem.
DEFENCEO proved to be a very well-organized event and an excellent platform for dialogue between industrial companies, defence players, technology providers and business leaders.
The Chamber would like to thank Jan Homola and his team for organizing a high-quality event in an excellent venue, as well as Boris Keka for the professional moderation and contribution to the discussion. Special thanks also go to Dr. Markus Ciupek for his excellent presentation and contribution to the topic of Czech-Ukrainian industrial and dual-use cooperation.
The Chamber is looking forward to continuing this important dialogue, including during future opportunities for cooperation at BVV – Trade Fairs Brno in October during MSV, where dual-use transformation is expected to remain one of the important topics for Czech and Ukrainian industry.
Together, we are building stronger industrial capabilities and deeper cooperation between Czech and Ukrainian companies in support of Europe’s security, resilience and future competitiveness.
DEFENCEO is one of the leading Czech conferences focused on the transformation of manufacturing industries towards the defence and dual-use sectors. It is organized by Defence Consulting / Nová média and is aimed primarily at owners, CEOs, managing directors and senior executives from Czech industrial companies looking to enter defence supply chains or diversify away from automotive and traditional engineering.
The main topics of DEFENCEO include:
Defence industry opportunities for Czech companies
Transformation from automotive to defence production
Dual-use technologies and innovation
Advanced technologies and know-how
Practical experience from defence manufacturers
Networking between industrial companies and defence players
"From Automotive Excellence to Defence Resilience: Chamber at DEFENCEO"
