More than 130 participants from 16 European countries gathered in Maribor on 10 February 2026 for the first day of the SENTINEL 1st All Partners Event – “Aligning Expectations”. Hosted by TECES, Green Tech Cluster, the Coordinator of the EDF-2024-SENTINEL project brought together project partners, representatives of the European Commission, members of the End-User Advisory Board, and participating Ministries of Defence. Among the welcome speakers was Borut Sajovic, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.

In his address, Minister Sajovic emphasised that SENTINEL represents a significant strategic milestone for Europe, strengthening defence resilience at a time when energy security is central to both national and collective security. He underlined that through SENTINEL, Slovenia contributes to strategically vital areas shaping the future of European defence and expressed pride that six Slovenian companies and research organisations are involved in the project. Their participation in a consortium of 42 partners from 16 countries, he noted, reflects the effective cooperation between TECES and the Slovenian Ministry of Defence (Si MoD) in supporting national stakeholders and integrating them into European defence initiatives.

The event opened with speeches by Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Sajovic, Slovenian representative in the SENTINEL End-User Advisory Board Col Robert ŠIPEC, the Head of the Sector for Energy Efficiency and Green Transition at the Si MoD and SENTINEL Coordinator Mr Matej GAJZER, Managing Director of TECES and the President of the SiEnE.

Minister of Defence Highlights SENTINEL as a Strategic European Defence Project

Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Sajovic, emphasised, “Through the SENTINEL project, Slovenia is contributing to strategically vital areas shaping the future of European defence. The project builds on long-standing cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia and TECES, who jointly established the Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership in Defence (SiEnE) to strengthen energy resilience across both the defence and civil sectors. I am particularly proud that six Slovenian companies and research organisations are actively involved in SENTINEL, contributing their expertise and technological capabilities to our shared European objectives.”

Coordination of the SENTINEL Project as a Recognition of International Partners’ Trust in TECES

Speaking on behalf of the project coordinator, Mr Matej Gajzer, Managing Director of TECES and President of the SiEnE Partnership, emphasised that coordinating a strategically important European project such as SENTINEL is both a great responsibility and a recognition of the trust placed in TECES by the project partners. “As the coordinator of SENTINEL, we fully recognise the strategic importance, complexity, and responsibility that come with leading a project of this scale, particularly given the strong involvement of European Ministries of Defence,” said Gajzer. “At the same time, we are proud that our partners have entrusted us with coordinating the continuation of the work initiated under the INDY project, which confirms the strength of the cooperation and results achieved so far.” He further highlighted that TECES is supported by a strong and experienced core team of partners from the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Germany, as well as by close cooperation with participating Ministries of Defence, with many of these relationships already successfully established during the EDF-2021-INDY project and further strengthened through other international defence and energy initiatives.

Active Involvement of End Users as the Foundation for the Operational Relevance of Solutions

From the end users' perspective, Colonel Robert Šipec, Head of the Sector for Energy Efficiency and Green Transition at the Slovenian Ministry of Defence and the Slovenian representative on the SENTINEL End-User Advisory Board, highlighted the importance of developing and validating key technologies that directly enhance military energy resilience. “By focusing on real-world demonstrations and testing in operational environments, the project enables the development of solutions that can increase operational efficiency, improve tactical autonomy, and significantly reduce the logistical burden associated with energy supply for military camps and operations.” He further underlined the active involvement of Ministries of Defence and end users throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring that solutions are developed in close alignment with operational needs and real deployment conditions. “The strong role of end users within SENTINEL ensures that the technologies developed are not only innovative, but also operationally relevant, interoperable, and ready for deployment,” Colonel Šipec added.

More about SENTINEL

Building upon the EDF-2021-INDY (Energy Independent and Efficient Deployable Military Camps) project, SENTINEL (Sustainable Energy Capabilities for Enhanced Military Camps and Operations) brings together 42 entities from 16 European countries, combining military and civilian expertise to deliver secure, sustainable, and interoperable energy solutions across all stages of military operations. These solutions will be demonstrated through five operational demonstrations, including four demonstrations at existing military bases and one integrated digital demonstration, providing a comprehensive validation framework under realistic conditions.