Ukraine became the first nation to receive Enhanced Opportunities Partner status within the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which brings together the Nordics, Baltics, and the Netherlands. For defence innovators, this shift matters: cooperation frameworks like JEF shape how capabilities move and how fast new technologies enter aligned markets.
But you can’t enter a defence market you don’t understand. And the UK system is one of the most complex to navigate.

That’s why our UK session is led by someone who understands procurement from the inside: Chris Daniels.

Chris is an entrepreneur and industry leader in drone technology for the defence sector. He has been leading the commercial development of Flare Bright Ltd., a UK drone company featured in two government case studies and holding contracts with DASA, Dstl, DE&S, the US Department of Defense, the US Office of Naval Research, and several Primes. He also co-chairs DPAC (Drone Platform and Counter-Drone Group), part of the wider industry body ADS Group Ltd, and serves as a member of its Council and Security Sector Board. Chris additionally sits on the Royal Aeronautical Society’s RPAAS group and the Advisory Board of ARPAS-UK, the UK civil drone industry association.

In his session “The UK Defence Procurement System,” Chris Daniels will cover:
🔹Key routes to entering the UK defence market
🔹How procurement and compliance processes work
🔹Support networks and opportunities for innovators
🔹Ongoing UK–Ukraine cooperation initiatives
🔹Practical insights and real success stories from the industry.

The UK defence market isn’t opaque, it’s structured. Chris will explain how it works, how decisions are made, and how companies can build credible entry points.

Defence Tech Comms Bootcamp. Global Edition