CURRENT INITIATIVES AND CHALLENGES OF DEFENCE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION.

This paper aims to present the current status and challenges of Defence Research & Development and Innovation domain for NATO and EU members, as well as from national perspective, in a world characterized by profound changes due to the crisis generated by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and increasingly strong competition in the Research and Development and Innovation field. All kind of implications, ranging from lack of raw materials, reduced mobility for researchers, high energy prices, to increased demand for security and defense equipment have been generated by the current situation. Occurring right after the pandemic context, when the need for increasing the budgetary allocations and the cooperation between research entities has already been demonstrated, this new challenge is underlining the need for immediate action to harness and coordinate the research capabilities at European Union and NATO level. In the last years we have witnessed the intense development of China's defense-industrial and technological base. China is gaining access to important dual-use technologies, for example artificial intelligence, augmented reality, robotics and self-driving technologies. It comes as no surprise that the 2017 International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Military Balance argued that "in some capability areas, particularly in the air domain, China appears to be reaching near-parity with the West". This very complex spectrum of challenges has to be addressed by the European and NATO Research and Development and Innovation structures in order to achieve their level of ambition and preserve the technological superiority status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]