A new defence summit in Glasgow next month aims to connect Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises with major defence buyers and prime contractors, as government spending in the sector increases.
The DPRTE Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit will take place on 20 May at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel, bringing together representatives from government, industry and the armed forces to discuss supply chain access and future capability needs, according to organisers.
The event comes as the UK Government commits £50 million through the Scotland Defence Growth Deal alongside an additional £2.2 billion uplift to Ministry of Defence spending from April 2026. Organisers say this is driving a period of expansion across the sector, with growing demand for new suppliers and capabilities.
The one-day summit is intended to address barriers that smaller firms often face when engaging with defence procurement. Sessions will focus on areas such as supplier qualification, onboarding processes and direct engagement with programme teams, alongside networking opportunities aimed at building longer-term partnerships.
Confirmed speakers include Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, Gareth Hedicker, Chief Operating Officer at Babcock Marine, and Sean Scott, UK Build Programme Director for Type 26 at BAE Systems. Representatives from Thales UK, QinetiQ, Scottish Enterprise and techUK are also scheduled to take part.
Other participants include Susan Scurlock MBE of Primary Engineer, Karen Meechan of ScotlandIS and Andrew Cowie of Denchi Group, alongside academic and industry specialists contributing to discussions on skills, innovation and supply chain development.
Organisers say the summit is designed to provide a clearer route for Scottish businesses to access defence opportunities, particularly as demand grows across maritime, advanced manufacturing and digital capability areas.
More information and registration details are available here.
