The second European Defence Innovation Forum: two days at the World Forum in The Hague, 11 and 12 November 2026, where Ukrainian battlefield experience meets European ministries, defence-tech companies, investors and a startup competition.
A two-day defence innovation forum in The Hague, known as EDIF, created in 2025 as a Ukrainian-Dutch initiative. The organiser describes it as a working platform where combat-tested innovation meets capital and policy, and 2026 is the second edition and the first over two days. It combines plenary sessions, parallel open and closed sessions, an exhibition, a startup competition and business matchmaking.
Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 November 2026. World Forum The Hague, Churchillplein 10, 2517 JW The Hague, Netherlands. Day one registration opens at 09:00 and the forum closes at 20:00; day two registration opens at 09:30 and the forum also closes at 20:00. Some third-party event calendars still list the forum for 25 September, which is the 2025 date; the organiser's site gives 11 to 12 November 2026.
The Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands, DeltaQuad (a Dutch fixed-wing drone maker) and VN Strategies, who co-organised the 2025 edition according to DeltaQuad's press release. The 2026 site pages read do not restate the organiser line; its press release quotes Nataliya Nakonechna as co-founder of EDIF, and the DeltaQuad article of 2025 captions her as organiser, VN Strategies. The database held the European Defence Agency as organiser, which no organiser page supports. The press contact is the EDIF Press Office at media@defenceinnovations.eu.
1,000+, an organiser expectation for 2026, from Ukraine, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Latvia plus other European NATO and partner countries. The organiser lists ministries of defence, industry and business associations, investors and funds, defence-tech startups, system integrators and EU defence officials. The 2026 press release announces national delegations, a strong Latvian one among them. The 2025 edition drew 579 attendees (unverifiable information), a figure carried in the earlier fiche but not found in a source.
It moves from one day (25 September 2025) to two days. The organiser promises an expanded exhibition with 50+ Ukrainian and European defence companies, industry-led side sessions, a startup competition with jury awards, B2B matchmaking, dedicated national delegations, and a new defence product to be presented by one exhibitor, details to follow. New 2026 session topics include unmanned ground systems, space as a strategic domain, ammunition scaling and air defence, and a session on women in defence, technology and military service. Day two opens with a Ukrainian ballet performance.
Published roster on the official speakers page, as titled there (name, role), listed in full:
Joost Tuinman (Strategic Defence Advisor, moderator); Ihor Fedirko (CEO, Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry); Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius (Minister of Defence, Deputy Prime Minister); Jan van Zanen (Mayor of The Hague); Sander Smeets (CEO, DeltaQuad); Benjamin Wolba (Co-Founder, European Defense Tech Hub, moderator); Hugo Jammes (Founding Partner, EDT Ventures); Bohdan Diorditsa (Chief International Affairs Officer); Ron Nulkes (Chair, NATO Industrial Advisory Group); Oleksandr Yakovenko (Founder and Executive Chairman, TAF Industries); Reinis Poznaks (Member of the European Parliament); Brigit van Dijk - van de Reijt (CEO, Brabant Development Agency, for ROM-Nederland); Hans Huigen (Director, NIDV); Jan Christiaan Dicke (Commissioner for Military Production, Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands); Denys Nikolayenko (Co-Founder and CEO, Oko Camera); Dr. Ari Kristinn Jónsson (President, NATO Innovation Fund); Elena Dushenok (Head of Growth, Skyfall); Nynke Tigchelaar (Deputy Director, Defence Industrial Programmes, European Commission DG DEFIS); Roman Tkachenko (Co-Founder and CBDO, Tencore); Dennis Kanin (Director and Founder, Unmanned Naval Association); Ross Jackson (Chief Commerce Officer, DeltaQuad); Nina van Lanschot (Strategic Lead for Integrated Air and Missile Defense, TNO); Serhiy Prytula (Founder, Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation); Dr. Artis Pabriks (no role shown); Frans van Gemerden (Director Protection, Munitions and Weapons, TNO); Iryna Terekh (CEO, Fire Point); Jon Gray (Chief of Staff and MD Regions); Jeroen Boekema (Country Manager Netherlands, KRUSH Labs); Marcel Grisnigt (Executive Vice President International Development, KNDS N.V.); Jyoti Hirani-Driver (Acting Managing Director and COO, NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, DIANA).
On the agenda, the opening speech by the Mayor of The Hague and the speech by a NATO DIANA representative are marked "TBD".
Day one, 11 November (main stage): 10:20 welcome and a video with NATO; 10:30 opening speech by the Mayor of The Hague (TBD); 11:00 session 1, strategic defence cooperation; 12:45 session 2, defence industry alliances; 15:00 to 16:30 four parallel sessions (a closed MoD session, cyber and AI on the battlefield, unmanned ground systems, space); 15:32 session 3, from research to battlefield; 16:45 closing speech by the Dutch Ministry of Defence; 17:00 networking and B2B matchmaking; 19:30 official closing.
Day two, 12 November: 10:25 Ukrainian ballet performance; 10:50 opening speech by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; 11:00 session 1, investing in Europe's defence future (capital, funds, investors); 12:40 session 2, proven on the battlefield (industry leaders); 15:00 to 16:30 four parallel sessions (UAV production, ammunition and air defence, Ukrainian experience in Europe, women in defence); 15:25 speech by a NATO DIANA representative (TBD); 15:40 session 3, Startup Arena; 17:25 jury awards for first to third places; 17:55 networking and matchmaking; 19:30 official closing.
Main stage keynotes and moderated panels by stakeholder group (ministries, industry associations, research institutions, investors, large industry), four parallel sessions per day (one closed session for MoD participants on day one, the rest open), a Startup Arena with a jury and awards, an exhibition area with lunch and networking breaks, informal drinks and bites with B2B matchmaking in the evenings, and "Blitz Interview" partner spotlights online.
The cart on the official site on 2026-10-16 showed the visitor "Early bird ticket EDIF'26" at 250 EUR, struck down from 400 EUR, with the total shown as including VAT. The standard visitor price is therefore 400 EUR, and the early-bird end date is not published. Exhibitor registration is closed: the page says EDIF 2026 is fully booked. Free media accreditation is described in the entry on press accreditation.
Not publicly disclosed. The site publishes no call for speakers. The speaker line-up is made of ministers, officials, executives and sponsors' leaders; speaking places appear to be set by the organisers and partners. The sponsorship page mentions "high-level roundtables" for sponsors, without a speaker application route.
For 2026 exhibitor registration is closed: "EDIF 2026 is fully booked", with new partners welcome at EDIF 2027. Sponsorship applications are taken through the "Apply for EDIF 2026 sponsorship" form on the home page, which promises visibility to decision-makers, curated meetings and thematic sessions. Packages and prices are not published, and the contact address for sponsorship is not shown on the pages read.
Published roster on the official partners page, by tier (logos only, names taken from the linked sites and the 9 October press release):
Defence-tech manufacturers and their investors. Of the 17 sponsors named in the press release, most make drones, cameras, radar, armaments or related systems; the list includes Ukrainian companies (Vyriy, TAF Industries, Oko Camera, Tencore, Fire Point), the Dutch drone maker DeltaQuad and radar maker Robin Radar, the German-Dutch group KNDS and the US company Shield AI, plus the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. The organiser says the exhibition will show 50+ Ukrainian and European defence companies. Attendee company data is not published.
Apply through the free media accreditation form on the site. It asks for name, outlet, country, role, email, phone, outlet website, planned coverage, language, access needs, an uploaded press card or editorial assignment letter, and a LinkedIn profile. Accredited media get access to the programme and exhibition and can request interviews. Press contact: media@defenceinnovations.eu. The organiser says accreditation opened on 9 October 2026.
Mostly organiser and partner content. For 2025, the co-organiser DeltaQuad published a press release and an article, Ukrinform (listed in 2026 as a media partner) ran a preview, and Unmanned Systems Technology published a trade feature on the 2025 edition. For 2026, the organiser's newsroom carries a 9 October press release and three "Blitz Interview" partner spotlights dated 13 October with DeltaQuad, Artillerie Inrichtingen Armaments and KRUSH Labs. No independent report on the 2026 edition was found.
Coverage is placed or promotional. Ukrinform (media partner), Militarnyi (media partner), Defender Media (media partner), Defense Industry Europe (media partner), The Arsenal (media partner) and Veteranen TV & Radio (media partner) are partners of the event, and DeltaQuad is both co-organiser and publisher of the articles about it. The 1,000+ headcount and the 579 figure for 2025 are organiser numbers with no independent count.
Exhibitors who have not booked yet, since exhibitor registration for 2026 is closed. Anyone expecting a large trade show with live demonstrations: the organiser calls the event "not a conventional conference" and describes an exhibition of 50+ companies, not a vehicle show. Delegates who want a ministry-level session should note the closed MoD session on day one is for ministry participants.
It is a mid-November event in The Hague, in its second year, after the first edition on 25 September 2025 at the same venue. The organiser's exhibitor page already points to an EDIF 2027. Its closest listed neighbours in the series sense are the event's own supporters: Security Delta (HSD), the Deep Tech Defence Alliance and the NIDV.
No. The only other edition is the first one, on 25 September 2025 at the World Forum in The Hague, titled "From Policy to Practice / From Strategy to Contract" on the organiser's events page. No edition outside The Hague was found.
Not publicly disclosed. The website, agenda and press release are in English, and no statement on session language or interpretation was found. One agenda slot, "ONLINE/offline", features a battlefield officer from Ukraine.
Not publicly disclosed. The only mention of remote participation is an "ONLINE/offline" slot for a Ukrainian battlefield officer at 12:25 on 11 November; no livestream, online ticket or replay is described.
Not publicly disclosed. The cart shows the ticket, price and coupon field only, with no refund, transfer or cancellation terms on the pages read.
The event site publishes no accessibility statement, only that accessible parking spaces and EV charging exist in the garage. The venue says the World Forum is wheelchair-friendly with adapted facilities and support for auditory and visual impairments, and lists 3 accessible parking spaces on Churchillplein and 1 in the garage at level -4; it does not mention step-free routes, lifts or hearing loops, so contact the venue (info@worldforum.nl) to confirm.
World Forum The Hague is at Churchillplein 10, 2517 JW The Hague. From The Hague Central Station take bus 28 towards Zuiderstrand to World Forum (West), about 15 minutes; from Hollands Spoor take tram 1 towards Scheveningen Noord to World Forum. The stop is about 400 m from the venue. By car, underground parking at Churchillplein 10 has a height limit of 2.00 m, costs 4 EUR per hour up to 29.50 EUR per day, and has EV charging and accessible spaces. The venue recommends the 9292 planner for diversions.
The agenda puts Ukraine's practice in front of procurement and capital: a session titled "Defence Without Borders" on Ukrainian experience, an investment session for funds and financial institutions, a startup arena with jury awards, and sponsors that include Ukrainian companies such as Vyriy, TAF Industries, Tencore and Fire Point. With the Dutch Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister, a European Commission DG DEFIS official and the NATO DIANA acting managing director on the speaker page, the forum sits where ministries, funds and frontline manufacturers share a room, which is its stated aim.
The 1,000+ attendance is an expectation, not a count, and the 579 for 2025 could not be traced to a published source. The 50+ exhibiting companies are stated in a press release while the exhibitor page says the event is fully booked. Two agenda speeches (the Mayor's and the NATO DIANA representative's) are still marked "TBD" even though both appear on the speaker list, and third-party calendars show an old September date.
Official site: https://defenceinnovations.eu (confirmed 2026-10-16: it is the forum's own site, with agenda, speakers, partners, newsroom and registration). Registration: https://defenceinnovations.eu/cart/?add-to-cart=63. Media accreditation: https://defenceinnovations.eu/media-accrediation/. Press contact: media@defenceinnovations.eu. Venue accessibility: https://www.worldforum.nl/en/accessibility.