L-R: Fernand Reinig, CEO of LIST; Georges Bourscheid, President of LIST; Francine Closener, Secretary of State for Defence; Patrick Heck, Director of Defence;
Credit: MAEE
The Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology (LIST) and the Directorate of Defence have agreed to collaborate on research and innovation in the defence sector.
On 21 March 2018, Secretary of State for Defence Francine Closener and the LIST signed a cooperation agreement on research and innovation in the field of defence between LIST and the Directorate of Defence. As part of the implementation of the Defence Guidelines, this agreement aims to lead joint research and development projects for "dual-use" technologies, with both military and civilian applications.
With a total budget of €5 million spread over 5 years, the agreement supports research and development (R&D) projects and programs that may include different technologies, including: environmental, in order to optimise the use of cartographic tools and the analysis of geo-spatial data, useful for decision support in emergency situations, or to optimise the production, storage and distribution of drinking water in the context of external operations; information and data processing, necessary in the event of natural disasters or on external operational grounds, as well as in the fight against "cyber" attacks and the development of digital solutions for the safety of the transport of dangerous goods; materials, including the development of composite materials, advanced materials and so-called "smart" materials.
These research and innovation projects are part of recent initiatives launched by the European Union to encourage Member States to further support R&D at the defence level.
In 2017, the Luxembourg Defence Department invested €3 million in R&D and, in the long term, the goal will be to dedicate 2% of the national defence effort.
