Scotland’s defence sector is entering a new chapter. With over £2 billion in annual Ministry of Defence spending flowing through the region and a recently announced £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal, the country’s role in UK national security has never been more prominent.
On Wednesday 20 May, Glasgow will host the inaugural DPRTE Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit, a landmark event designed to connect Scottish industry with the opportunities that increased defence investment is creating.
Officially supported by the MOD and ADS Scotland, the Summit brings together defence buyers, prime contractors, SMEs, innovators, and policy leaders for a day of strategic insight, practical guidance, and direct engagement. Its mission is clear: to strengthen Scotland’s position within the UK and global defence ecosystem by enabling clearer access to procurement routes, building supply chain resilience, and championing the nation’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, engineering, digital technology, cyber, and complex systems.
A Programme Built Around What Matters
The event programme tackles the themes that matter most to businesses looking to enter or grow within the defence supply chain. The day opens with a keynote address from Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, setting out Scotland’s vital contribution to national security across naval platforms, submarine support, radar, space capability, and emerging digital domains. Calum Taylor, Deputy Head of Growth and Place at the MOD, follows with a keynote on the new Defence Growth Deals, part of a £250 million investment to boost regional economies and support SMEs through locally driven partnerships between industry, academia, and government.
A strategic panel on defence as an engine for Scottish prosperity features voices from across the sector, including Rhona Allison, Managing Director of Productivity and Business Growth at Scottish Enterprise, Brigadier Andrew Muddiman ADC RM, National Regional Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mark Stead, Senior Vice President of Radar and Advanced Targeting at Leonardo, and Stewart MacPherson, Head of Digital Strategy at Thales UK.
For SMEs seeking to break into major supply chains, a dedicated session on prime contractor engagement sees Gareth Hedicker, Chief Operating Officer at Babcock Marine, and Andrew Cowie, CEO of Denchi Group, outline onboarding pathways, accreditation requirements, and real-world examples of smaller suppliers winning work on major platforms. Sean Scott, UK Build Programme Director for Type 26 Batch 1 and 2 at BAE Systems, delivers a supply chain deep dive into Scottish shipbuilding, covering procurement timelines and upcoming capability needs.
The afternoon shifts to turning policy into contracts, with practical guidance on navigating defence procurement routes from Mark Darvill of UK Defence Innovation and John MacSween, Managing Director of Malin Group, among others. The day closes with a forward-looking panel on cross-technology trends across space, cyber, and AI, featuring Professor Craig Clark FRSE from the University of Strathclyde, Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, and Professor James R Hoggod from the University of Edinburgh.
Why This Event Matters Now
The Summit arrives at a pivotal moment. The Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy are reshaping how the UK approaches capability, resilience, and sovereignty. Scotland, home to world-class shipbuilding at the Clyde, a thriving space sector, and deep expertise in sensors, digital systems, and advanced engineering, is positioned to play an even greater role. For businesses of all sizes, this event offers a rare chance to hear directly from decision makers, understand where investment is heading, and make the connections needed to act on it.
Whether you are an established defence supplier, a technology innovator, or a business exploring the sector for the first time, the DPRTE Scottish Defence Summit is the place to be this May.
Register now at dprte.co.uk/defence-summit-scotland
Its all noise. There’s been periodic banging on about SME’s for decades. It all goes away with first contact with reality. Commercial risk exists and SME’s dont have the capital to expand and it’s not the job of the MoD to play venture capital. Prime contracts are going to go with the the less risky options. Governments make announcements it goes quite for a few years, nothing changes, repeat.
Where might one find this mythical “increased defence investment”?
Thank God for Scotland.
Not sure there would be any other news else. 😁
Meetingss, more meeting and no doubt plans for future meetings. Perhaps the government could try ordering something? 😏s