Inside the New DefenceTech Race

Gary Ang, Professor of Practice, Defence Innovation & Applications

Key points:

• Defence technology often struggles to move from R&D into real-world use for reasons that span procurement, culture and organisational incentives - not just technical maturity
• Genuine dual-use value means a technology works credibly across both civilian and defence markets, not just carrying the label Europe's rising focus on defence innovation and Singapore's long-standing, integrated approach to technology, government and industry create strong opportunities for collaboration
• European DefenceTech founders should see Singapore as a partner, a market and a gateway to the wider Asian region - each role comes with different expectations
• Universities are becoming central to defence innovation, and turning research into venture-backed companies requires deliberate investment in talent, capital access and international scaling paths