Tender Cluster Defence.NRW

The subject of the contract is the establishment, setup, and operation of a cluster organization "Defence.NRW" for the security and defense industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. The objective is to strengthen the innovative capacity and structural economic and technological development in the sector through targeted monitoring, proactive measures, and a strategic approach in collaboration with industry, science, users, politics, and society. The cluster organization is intended to serve as a central platform for promoting innovation, cooperation, and competitiveness of the security and defense industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is intended to network companies, research institutions, authorities, the Bundeswehr, NATO, and political decision-makers to accelerate technological developments, create synergies, support start-ups, and strengthen regional value creation. This will also contribute to Europe's defense capability. Core topics of cluster work The work of the cluster organization should be oriented towards the topics and needs that are essential for the SVI (security and defense industry) and its innovation system. Currently, these include in particular: - Technology and innovation / Defence.Tech and dual-use applications - Foreign trade, internationalization, and European cooperation - Regulatory environment for the SVI: e.g., energy prices, planning and approval procedures, export control, permits and certifications, security clearance requirements - Procurement and awarding, development of military capability goals, in particular: targeted further development of North Rhine-Westphalian security and defense-related value chains and their integration into the procurement and awarding processes of the Bundeswehr and NATO users - Utilization and design of SVI-relevant funding programs at all levels (state, federal, EU, NATO) - Labor market, meeting skilled labor needs, and trends in the world of work, including the promotion of women and diversity in Defence.Tech - Company foundations, start-ups, and scale-ups in the SVI - Cooperations ("Best Practice") with other federal and EU states or their (SVI) clusters and (federal) associations The topics mentioned are not to be considered exhaustive and static. Rather, the core task of the cluster organization is to observe developments and trends (see Work Package 3) and, in coordination with the client, to change or expand the content priorities if necessary. The following overarching objectives are to be pursued, among others: - Increase in the number of companies supported in bringing new products, technologies, and services to market through networking and other measures of the cluster organization, - Contribution to increasing the number of jobs and economic strength in the addressed field, - Contribution to increasing private investments, which specifically complement the increase in public contract funds from the federal government - Contribution to increasing jobs, including in research & development in companies and organizations in the security and defense sector in NRW. Further details can be found in the service description of the procedure.