A five-day Nordic-Baltic defence and security week in Tallinn, themed "How to Win the Next War?", that federates a defence innovation day, an industry symposium, the Annual Baltic Conference on Defence, NATO's open innovation conference, a 100-company exhibition and a hackathon. The 2026 edition runs 21-25 September and targets around 4,000 participants.
Estonian Defence Week (EDW) is an annual five-day defence and security week held each September in Tallinn. It is a federated multi-event programme that combines an exhibition, an industry symposium, a high-level policy conference, a NATO open-innovation event, an innovation day and a hackathon. The 2026 edition, themed "How to Win the Next War?", runs from 21 to 25 September, primarily at Kultuurikatel, the Tallinn Creative Hub, and targets around 4,000 participants and more than 100 exhibiting companies. It is organised by the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association (EDIA) together with the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator, the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) and International Mission Estonia. EDW is the second edition, following an inaugural 2025 event that drew nearly 3,000 guests from 35 countries.
EDW is built as a cluster of independently organised sub-events held back to back through the week, each with its own registration. This structure lets a defence-tech founder, a procurement official, a NATO innovator and a policy analyst each find their own entry point while sharing the same city and exhibition floor. The model reflects Estonia's position on NATO's eastern flank and its outsized role in defence innovation, dual-use technology and digital resilience. The inaugural 2025 edition exceeded its own projections, with organisers initially expecting around 50 exhibitors and ultimately hosting 80; for 2026 the exhibition grows from two to three days and the exhibitor target rises above 100.
EDW 2026 brings together six main components. The Defence Innovation Day on 21 September, organised through the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator, showcases startup pitches, keynotes and exhibitor booths around innovation ecosystems, battlefield lessons from Ukraine and infrastructure security. The Estonian Defence Industry Symposium on 22 September, run by EDIA under the theme "Next in Defence: Autonomy, Space and Industrial Readiness", anchors the week with ministerial keynotes and a Nordic-Baltic 8 industry ministers panel. The Annual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD), on 22-23 September and in its 20th edition, is the invitation-only policy forum organised by ICDS and the Ministry of Defence. The Tallinn Defence Exhibition runs 22-24 September with more than 100 companies. NOICE, the NATO Open Innovation Conference and Expo organised by NATO Allied Command Transformation, takes place 23-24 September. The week closes with a 48-hour international hackathon on 24-25 September focused on safer, more resilient cities.
EDW occupies a September slot and positions itself specifically as the Nordic-Baltic defence hub, distinct from large generalist shows such as DSEI in London or MSPO in Kielce. Its focus is regional: Estonian and Baltic-Nordic industry, dual-use and deep-tech innovation, and the security environment of NATO's eastern flank. The co-location in 2026 of a Nordic-Baltic 8 industry ministers meeting on the symposium sidelines adds a ministerial dimension that most trade shows lack, and the integration of NATO's NOICE, previously held in Copenhagen, signals the week's growing role within the alliance's innovation network.
The audience spans the Estonian defence industry, which made up around 60 percent of the 2025 exhibition, alongside major international players, with the inaugural edition featuring companies such as Airbus, Saab, BlackBerry and Helsing. It also draws policymakers and government officials, including the Estonian Ministers of Defence and of Economy and the Nordic-Baltic 8 industry ministers, military leadership from Baltic and allied countries, NATO structures through NOICE and DIANA, defence-tech startups and scale-ups, investors, academics, analysts and media. The week reflects a Nordic-Baltic Eight regional focus, extended to the broader NATO alliance and EU institutions.
Each sub-event has its own format and registration. The Defence Innovation Day mixes keynotes, panels, on-stage startup pitches and a dozen-plus exhibitor booths. The Industry Symposium runs a full conference day preceded by pre-event workshops on autonomy, space and industry readiness and an evening networking reception. The ABCD is a closed, high-level policy conference. The Tallinn Defence Exhibition combines indoor and outdoor stands across product sectors from weapon systems and unmanned solutions to space technology and naval defence, supported by an online matchmaking platform. NOICE delivers conference sessions, a curated expo and hands-on workshops on quantum, robotics, AI and experimentation. The hackathon gathers startups, developers and students for a 48-hour challenge with partner cities including Valencia, Helsinki, Lviv and Dnipro.
The overall theme, "How to Win the Next War?", frames a programme centred on autonomy and AI, moving autonomous systems from prototype to operational deployment under electronic-warfare and jamming conditions; space as a defence capability layer covering ISR, communications and positioning; and defence industrial readiness, including scalable production, multi-year procurement and supply-chain resilience. Further pillars span innovation adoption pathways, transatlantic and European defence cohesion, Baltic-Nordic regional security and lessons from Ukraine, hybrid threats and societal resilience, and, through the hackathon, people-centred urban security. The symposium runs under the sub-theme "Next in Defence: Autonomy, Space and Industrial Readiness" and the ABCD under "Choosing to Win: Building Confidence in Complexity".
| Participants | ~3,000 |
| Countries represented | 35 |
| Exhibiting companies | 80 |
| Exhibition days | 2 |
| Hackathon participants | 70+ |
| 2026 participant target | ~4,000 |
| 2026 exhibitor target | 100+ |
EDW 2026 is the second edition. The inaugural Estonian Defence Week was held in September 2025 in Tallinn and Tartu, drawing nearly 3,000 participants from 35 countries and 80 exhibiting companies, well beyond the organisers' initial expectations. For 2026 the exhibition grows from two to three days, the attendance target rises to around 4,000 and the exhibitor target exceeds 100.
EDW positions itself as a Nordic-Baltic defence hub rather than a generalist trade show, focused on regional industry, dual-use innovation and the security environment of NATO's eastern flank. It combines an exhibition, a policy conference, an innovation day, a NATO open-innovation event and a hackathon in one week, and in 2026 adds a Nordic-Baltic 8 industry ministers meeting, giving it a ministerial dimension most shows lack.
The Defence Innovation Day is organised through the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator, operated by Tehnopol Science and Business Park with Sparkup Tartu Science Park. It serves as a showcase and connection platform for DIANA cohort companies, letting them pitch to investors, meet end-users and engage with defence stakeholders across the NATO ecosystem.
The ABCD is by invitation only and targets policymakers, military officials, academics, analysts and media with a professional interest in transatlantic, European and Baltic-Nordic defence policy. In 2026 it marks its 20th edition. Confirmed ABCD participants automatically receive access to the Tallinn Defence Exhibition.
The primary venue is Kultuurikatel, the Tallinn Creative Hub, at Kursi 3, 10415 Tallinn, a former central power plant from 1913 reconverted into a creative and events hub in the Kalamaja district near the Old Town and the Port of Tallinn. It is roughly 6.5 km from Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport and is served by trams 1, 2 and 5 and several bus lines. A connected secondary venue, the Energy Discovery Centre, hosts the symposium pre-event workshops and the hackathon.
EDW is led by the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association (EDIA), founded in 2009 and representing more than 200 companies, in cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator operated by Tehnopol, the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) which runs the ABCD, and International Mission Estonia. NATO Allied Command Transformation brings NOICE into the week. The Defence Innovation Day is additionally supported by Sparkup Tartu Science Park and the Estonian ministries of economic affairs and foreign affairs and the City of Tallinn.
The Nordic-Baltic defence calendar's anchor week, packing innovation day, industry symposium, NATO open innovation and a policy conference into five days on NATO's eastern flank.
Each sub-event is registered independently, and attending one does not grant entry to the others, with the single exception that Symposium and ABCD registrations each include access to the Tallinn Defence Exhibition. The Defence Innovation Day is free of charge but requires registration subject to organiser approval. The Symposium, ABCD (by invitation), NOICE and the hackathon have their own registration channels, with visitor pricing for several of these not publicly disclosed as of June 2026. For the exhibition, exhibitor packages are priced from 1,500 EUR for an indoor Arena B stand (early-bird until 31 July 2026, rising to 2,300 EUR thereafter) and 1,600 EUR for Arena C, up to 2,500 EUR for an outdoor stand, all excluding 24 percent Estonian VAT; the Arena A hall was sold out as of June 2026.
EDW 2026 runs from 21 to 25 September 2026, primarily at Kultuurikatel, the Tallinn Creative Hub, with workshops and the hackathon at the adjacent Energy Discovery Centre.
Yes. The Defence Innovation Day on 21 September is free of charge, but registration is mandatory and subject to organiser approval, and the programme is in English only.
All packages cover the three exhibition days (22-24 September), up to five exhibitor passes, a place in the online catalogue and networking access. Early-bird pricing runs until 31 July 2026, after which Arena B rises to 2,300 EUR and Arena C to 2,400 EUR (both excluding VAT), with an outdoor option at 2,500 EUR. Arena A was sold out as of June 2026, and confirmation takes around ten days after application.
NOICE, the NATO Open Innovation Conference and Expo organised by NATO Allied Command Transformation, targets working-level innovators: military practitioners, industry, startups and researchers from allied and partner nations. After a 2025 edition in Copenhagen with around 300 participants, NOICE 2026 moves to Tallinn within EDW, with an icebreaker on 23 September and the main programme on 24 September.
| Official website | https://edw.ee/en/estonian-defence-week/ |
| https://www.linkedin.com/company/estdefence | |
| X | https://twitter.com/ESTdefence |
| ABCD conference | https://abcd.icds.ee/ |
| Exhibitor information | https://edw.ee/en/estonian-defence-week/for-exhibitors/ |
| Organiser website | https://defence.ee |