At an event presenting the achievements of two pillars of the national security system of the Republic of Slovenia, held yesterday at Brdo pri Kranju, the Minister of Defence, Mr Borut Sajovic, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia (Si MoD), signed an agreement with Mr Matej Gajzer, Managing Director of TECES, on the co-financing of the international strategic project of the European Defence Fund EDF-2024-SENTINEL, coordinated by TECES.

On this occasion, agreements were also signed for the financing of two national research, development and innovation (RDI) dual-use projects, MODEL2 and REWATER, both coordinated by TECES. The companies REM and Kolektor Sisteh, members of the TECES partnerships, participate in the projects as technological integrators. On behalf of the participating companies, the agreements were signed by Mr Jože Torkar, Managing Director of Kolektor Sisteh, and Mr Igor Kastelic, Managing Director of REM.

On the occasion, Mr Matej Gajzer, Managing Director of TECES, emphasised that all TECES activities, also under the umbrella of the SiEnE partnership, established by TECES and the Ministry of Defence, are aimed, both in international and national projects, at systematically strengthening the competences of Slovenian companies and fostering coordinated cooperation between industry, research organisations, the state and end users.

“Through active participation at the international level, we first identify concrete market needs and then address them with Slovenian solutions that help close gaps in supply chains. In this way, we enable the integration of Slovenian solutions into European and global value chains, while also creating conditions for faster industrialisation of advanced technologies. We place special emphasis on the development of dual-use solutions, which, besides strengthening energy resilience and defence capabilities, also make an important contribution to enhancing the resilience of the civil protection and rescue system,” Mr Gajzer underlined.

TECES with support of THE Si MoD Leads One of the Key Strategic Projects of the European Defence Fund

The international strategic project of the European Defence Fund, EDF-2024-SENTINEL, in which TECES acts as the lead partner and project coordinator, addresses the urgent need to develop sustainable, energy-resilient solutions for deployable military bases and operations. The project, valued at EUR 57 million, involves 42 partners from 16 EU Member States.

A key aspect of the project lies in connecting partners to develop interoperable solutions that enable technically and operationally harmonised cooperation between countries in joint operations. TECES has successfully integrated six Slovenian partners into the international consortium, thereby strengthening Slovenia’s role within European value chains.

MODEL2 and REWATER – National RDI Projects with Strong Dual-Use Potential

Alongside the signing of the co-financing agreement for the SENTINEL project, agreements were also signed for the financing of two national RDI projects addressing key challenges of energy and operational resilience, while making a significant contribution to the development of dual-use solutions.

The project MODEL2 – Resilient Militarised Living Modules for Deployable Bases, with a value of EUR 4.9 million, focuses on the development of an energy- and environmentally optimised module for smart deployable bases, as well as on improving overall energy supply, living comfort and system interoperability.

The project REWATER – Mobile Modular Waste, Water and Energy Treatment, with a value of EUR 4.8 million, addresses gaps in comprehensive, system-based water management in advanced operational bases, where existing technological solutions fail to ensure sufficient self-sufficiency, resilience, and efficiency.

By combining industrial and research competencies, both projects strengthen the capabilities of the Slovenian Armed Forces, contribute to the resilience of the civil protection and rescue system, and enhance the competitiveness of Slovenian solutions at the European level.