Regions stepping up on resilience, security & defence

Regions stepping up on resilience, security & defence

On 24 February, ERRIN members came together during the Policy Working Group meeting to reflect on a question that is rapidly moving up the European agenda: What is the role of regions in strengthening Europe’s resilience, security and defence?

With geopolitical tensions rising and global competitiveness high on the EU agenda, regions are not on the sidelines – they are key players.

We were pleased to welcome Heinrich Klopp from DG DEFIS, European Commission, who walked us through how EU support for defence has evolved, the state of play, as well as a forward look at the role of defence in the next EU long-term budget post-2027. He also highlighted how regions can engage in EU security and defence opportunities, such as through the European Network of Defence-related Regions (ENDR). He encouraged ERRIN to become a driving force in Brussels for cross-border collaboration and regional development in European preparedness and sovereignty.

Carmen Sillero from the Joint Research Centre, European Commission, presented findings from the REGDUALOSA project, showing how regional innovation policies can better leverage dual-use and mobilise territorial research and innovation ecosystems around security and defence.

The second part of the meeting focused on reflecting on how ERRIN can tackle the themes of resilience, security and defence in its work while offering added value to its members. Moderated by Lucia Huertas Suanzes, Head of Region of Murcia Brussels Office and ERRIN Management Board member, the session featured four regional pitches from Anna Lounaskorpi (Häme EU Office), Eric M. Miller (Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg), Viola Cattani (Région Sud - Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Brussels Office), and Wim De Kinderen (Brainport Eindhoven). They shared their approaches and activities in the field of security and defence.

Key takeaways from the discussion:

  • Defence is increasingly relevant at the regional level with growing opportunities for interregional collaboration and funding
  • Cooperation across governance levels, with industry, higher education, and research institutions is crucial
  • Exchanging knowledge and best practices across regional defence ecosystems strengthens impact
  • Talent and skills gaps are among the most common challenges for regional defence ecosystems
  • Resilience, security and defence could be integrated as cross-cutting topics in ERRIN's existing thematic clusters
  • A new Experimentation Journey on Territorial Preparedness is set to launch in the frame of Innovation for Place-based Transformation Preparatory Action later in the year

The event attracted a full room of ERRIN members, as over 90% of respondents to the ERRIN member annual survey 2025 identified resilience, security and defence as strategic priorities in their regions.

We look forward to continued and evolving ERRIN engagement in the field!