NCI Agency is pleased to announce a Small Business Mentoring Programme and an SME-dedicated exhibition space at NITEC17. Both initiatives are aimed at bringing visibility to the innovative solutions Small and Medium Enterprises can offer in support of NATO cyber defence.
"The success of last year's mentoring programme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) at NITEC has moved us to not only continue it, but bolster it with an additional platform for small businesses and start-ups to engage with NATO staff and conference delegates about their technology solutions," said NCI Agency General Manager Koen Gijsbers.
"We recognize the hurdles SMEs face in bringing their products and services to NATO, and we are dedicated to ensuring they have a channel to demonstrate the value they can contribute to NATO's C4ISR and cyber defence capabilities."
Small Business Mentoring Programme
The second annual Small Business Mentoring Programme will continue at NITEC17, to be held at NITEC 17 in Ottawa, Canada from 24 to 26 April 2017.
Representatives from Leidos, AT&T, GDIT and Leonardo will hold one-one-one sessions covering a range of topics, including product development, marketing, seed financing, best practices, and successful collaboration with partner companies and NATO. To book your session, use the NITEC mobile app.
Small and Medium Enterprise Zone
In a new feature this year, NCI Agency will host an SME Zone at NITEC17, providing SMEs an informal exhibition space and meeting point at no extra cost. The SME zone offers SMEs the opportunity to present their company's offerings, display material, and connect with peers, Industry leaders, and NATO and government officials.
Interested SMEs are requested to send expressions of interest by 18 April to industryrelations@ncia.nato.int. You will be contacted with further information.
The theme of this year's NCI Agency Annual Conference and AFCEA TechNet International (NITEC17) is 'Sharpening NATO's Technological Edge: Adaptive Partnerships and the Innovative Power of Alliance Industry'.
To register and view the full agenda, please visit www.nitec.nato.int.
NCI Agency Small and Medium Enterprises Engagement Strategy
The Small Business Mentoring Programme and NITEC SME zone are both initiatives of NCI Agency's Small and Medium Enterprises Engagement Strategy, which seeks to make NCI Agency acquisition as accessible as possible to SMEs, improve NCI Agency's interface with small businesses through more direct engagement, and ensure Agency acquisition strategies maximize the potential for SME participation at subcontract level.