IdD is the National Defense Industries Platform and was created in June 2014 with the mission of taking the necessary steps to promote the international expansion of national companies linked to the ASD sector (Aeronautics, Security and Defense) and to develop and support the Portuguese business fabric in the scope of Defense Economics, which is usually called the Technological and Industrial Defense Base (BTID).

Regarding this, it is also important to demystify what is the Defense Economy, which, being closely linked to the idea of ​​arms production, is much more than that, since any industry, textiles, footwear or hospital supplies, for example, since that produces goods or services for the Armed Forces, can be considered within this scope.

In addition, the identification of business opportunities for national companies in strategic markets is also central to this Platform; the promotion of visits and missions abroad related to the Defense Economy; the disclosure of opportunities identified abroad; support for the definition and development of internationalization strategies for national companies (including those of BTID); networking through exchanges between large and small companies, promoting common projects; and the promotion of contacts and partnerships with organizations, agencies and other entities, national and international, of public interest.

Defining re-equipment priorities and identifying opportunities, articulating public policy measures in favor of BTID, affirming and reinforcing the role of SMEs in national development, promoting greater participation of BTID in the re-equipment of the Armed Forces and reinforcing participation in international programs are also topics that make up the IdD vision.

For Eduardo Filipe, CEO of IDD, the integration of all these skills in this platform make perfect sense, as “it is a national consensus but also an international one that a strong National BTID will not only strengthen our internal capacities to face the current challenges for National Defense, but it will also contribute strongly to the economic development of the country and all its export capacity ”.

Innovation as an engine for economic growth

"The bet on innovation as the main growth engine of any industry has always done, does and will always be part of the IdD strategy", who says it is Eduardo Filipe.

For IdD, innovation is the keyword for the development of the National Defense Industries and, in this sense, it is its intention to encourage and continue to promote the companies that have presented the most recent innovations with regard to the Defense Economy, as it intends to encourage companies to invest in this growth engine (innovation). In this respect, it is still important to demystify what is the Defense Economy, which, being very linked to the idea of ​​arms production, is much more than that, since any industry, textiles, footwear or hospital supplies, for example, since that produces goods or services for the Armed Forces, can be considered within this scope.

Following this strategy, the first “Start-Up Defense” program was created, which was launched in July this year. This initiative aims to create the best possible conditions so that companies, projects and solutions can be launched and created that enable the offer, to Portugal and the World, of the most advanced and innovative capabilities for the Armed Forces, while allowing to contribute to the creation of a stronger and more developed economy, enhancing the material and human conditions existing in National Defense.

For the IdD, “National innovation is a very strong point of Portugal in the National Defense Industries”, hence Portugal can be considered a country with more than sufficient conditions to be able to stand out in this aspect of economic growth, both with regard to the Economy Defense and other sectors of society. Eduardo Filipe defends this idea in the opinion article that you can read here.

A world where fibers are a fundamental part

IdD believes that it is through the creation of a network of stakeholders and the strengthening of a relationship with them that success is achieved. Whether they are more or less linked to the Defense Economy, directly or indirectly related to the Scientific Systems or to the business sectors, passing through the Armed Forces Branch, the consolidation of these ties will certainly contribute to the development of this Defense Economy and, consequently, of the National Economy and for the creation of more jobs, many of them highly qualified.

The alliance between idD and Fibrenamics came about after some participation of Fibrenamics in actions developed by idD. As Eduardo Filipe says, “looking at the missions of both organizations, this partnership could not be more obvious”. This partnership resulted in the signing of a Memorandum, with the promise of fulfilling four major objectives: the promotion of cooperative activities to promote dissemination activities; stimulating and facilitating communication and establishing partnerships between its associates/partners; the promotion of research, development and innovation projects with business partners and the stimulation and promotion of the participation of its associate/partners in the Portugal2020 and Horizonte2020 Programs.

For IdD, fiber-based research brings great added value to Defense Economics, hence this closer relationship between IdD and Fibrenamics raises expectations in terms of innovation. When asked about the importance of this partnership, the IdD was very clear: “The ‘world’ of Fibers is present in many different sectors that add value to the developments of this Defense Economy. We believe that the Defense Economy benefits directly from the development of this sector and can also contribute to the development of it with the survey of needs and different applications that can be vital for Defense ”.

Date: November/2015
Interviewed: Eduardo Filipe, President (CEO) - idD