Łukasiewicz – PIT at the ‘Defence and Dual-Use Investment Zone’ conference

Representatives from the business sector, financial institutions, public administration and the academic and research community met on 17 March 2026 in Poznań for a conference entitled “Defence and Dual-Use Investment Zone”. Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology was a partner of this event.

The meeting was organised by the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone and took place at the Poznań University of Technology. It took the form of an expert and business forum dedicated to the development of the defence sector and dual-use technologies, i.e. solutions applicable in both the civilian and military sectors.

The event programme included numerous expert panels, power speeches and networking sessions. Participants discussed the technologies with the greatest potential for the defence industry, skills development, certification and preparing companies to work with the defence sector, as well as project funding opportunities, including through the SAFE programme and institutions such as ARP and BGK.

Dariusz Garbiec, Deputy Director of Research at Łukasiewicz – PIT, took to the stage to talk about the Poznań-based Institute’s experience in delivering military and dual-use solutions.

– Ideas are born in the laboratory; we seek answers through basic research. Through applied research and development work, we create solutions. Implementation is the moment when science becomes a real tool for change. Sometimes we succeed in one out of a hundred cases, but science is not just about winning; above all, it is about drawing the right conclusions,” said Dariusz Garbiec.

The conference in Poznań clearly demonstrated that defence is becoming an increasingly concrete and promising direction of development for Polish enterprises. However, success will not be determined by a single factor, but by the coherent interaction of many elements: adequate investment support, broad access to capital, effective cooperation with the scientific sector, developed competencies, and the ability to enter the field of modern technologies, which is strategic for the economy.