Drone Summit in Riga brings together global industry leaders and highlights Latvia's potential in defence technology development

On 28 May, Riga hosted the "Drone Summit 2025" - an international forum bringing together drone technology companies, investors, scientists, and policymakers from more than 20 countries. The aim of the Summit was to build new international partnerships, foster innovation, and strengthen cooperation in defence technology and dual-use solutions.

"Latvia has the potential to become a regional leader in the development of defence and dual-use technologies. The LIAA team managed to bring to Riga around 300 industry professionals from leading European countries and Australia. Events of this scale raise the international profile of Latvian companies and help build trust among investors. We are currently coordinating 16 active investment projects in the defence sector with a total value of one billion euros, and I am confident that the number of projects will increase after this Summit," said Ieva Jāgere, Director General of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA).

The day before the Forum, on 27 May, LIAA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, organised a closed drone technology demonstration at the training ground in Ādaži. The event was attended by more than 150 industry professionals, investors, and institutional representatives. During the demonstration, Latvian companies had the opportunity to present their state-of-the-art solutions to potential partners.

A total of 1860 delegates attended the Summit, including around 300 LIAA invitees from countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, Israel, Ukraine, Italy, Sweden, France and Norway. 

Jēkabs Groskaufmanis, Head of the LIAA Representative Office in the Netherlands, points out:

"The Drone Summit has attracted wide international interest. This is also evidenced by the Dutch delegation - 75 representatives from more than 40 companies working in various fields of drone technology and component development."

Miel van den Brekel, representative of the company Avalor AI, points out:

 "The Latvian drone industry players made a great impression - we see promising opportunities for cooperation in both technology and practical applications. Such Forums are especially valuable for us as representatives of the Dutch ecosystem, as it is difficult to meet such a broad representation of the industry on a daily basis. Such an international platform inspires and forms the basis for real joint projects with Latvia and other countries. Latvia has a particular advantage in the extensive possibilities for testing technologies."

The Forum was also attended by a nine-member Australian delegation, accompanied by Sabine Kazaka, Head of the LIAA Representative Office in Australia. Australia was represented by six companies from the sector, the Ministry of Defence and the University of New South Wales. Given Australia's vast territory and low population density in many parts of the country, drone technology is becoming an essential solution not only for defence, but also for logistics, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure management.

Latvian companies such as Edge Autonomy, SPH Engineering, Origin Robotics, and others are already supplying various volumes to foreign partners. For example, Origin Robotics recently delivered BEAK drone systems to the Netherlands, which provides new opportunities for European allies. This partnership with BSS Holland BV marks an important step in the integration of Latvian technology into the European defence infrastructure.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Defence in cooperation with Riga Technical University (RTU) and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), which focused on attracting foreign delegations and facilitating the connection of companies with international partners.

In line with the Defence Industry and Innovation Support Strategy approved in March 2025, LIAA is a strategic partner for the Ministry of Defence in coordination between companies, investors, and the public sector. LIAA is ready to become more and more involved in promoting the industry and fostering its growth; therefore, after receiving positive feedback from foreign partners, it is planned that such a forum could be organised in Latvia in the future, as it gives an acceleration to the development of the industry.

Latvia is an active member of the Drone Coalition, along with Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Belgium, and Turkey have also expressed an interest in joining, bringing the coalition to 20 countries.

About the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) 

The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) promotes the competitiveness of Latvian entrepreneurs, export growth, and investment attraction, as well as develops the tourism industry and implements the national image policy. LIAA acts as a partner of the state in business development - from ideas to international markets. With an extensive network of representative offices abroad and regional business centres in Latvia, LIAA helps companies to grow and position Latvia as a safe, innovative, and open country in the global economy.

Photo: Armīns Janiks (Ministry of Defence). Drone Summit 2025

Information prepared by

LIAA - Division of International Marketing and Communication

E-mail: prese@liaa.gov.lv