Purchasing & Product Innovation workshop (online)
Procurement & supply management for technological sovereignty
The event will be held online.
Date: October 20th, 2026
Time: 14:00 (UTC+1)
Duration: 2,5 hours
Technology sovereignty and strategic autonomy have become central policy objectives in many parts of the world, particularly within the European Union, as governments respond to geopolitical tensions, security concerns, supply chain vulnerabilities, and intensifying technological competition. While much of the debate has focused on industrial policy and innovation ecosystems, these developments also raise fundamental questions for procurement and supply management (PSM). Procurement is increasingly expected not only to acquire goods and services efficiently, but also to support the development of critical technologies, strengthen industrial capabilities, reduce strategic dependencies, and shape future supply networks.
This SIG event explores the implications of the technology sovereignty agenda for PSM across contexts such as defence, healthcare, energy, and clean technologies. Particular attention is given to innovation-oriented procurement and its role in creating markets for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, robotics, cyber solutions, and other strategically important capabilities. Defence procurement provides a particularly salient example, as governments seek to accelerate the sourcing and adoption of novel technologies while simultaneously strengthening domestic and regional industrial bases. At the same time, concerns over access to critical raw materials, manufacturing capabilities, and upstream supply dependencies highlight the importance of procurement in shaping resilient and strategically secure supply chains.
Bringing together perspectives from public procurement, supply management, innovation studies, industrial policy, and supply chain research, the SIG aims to advance understanding of how procurement contributes to the development, governance, and scaling of strategic technological ecosystems under conditions of uncertainty, geopolitical competition, and systemic risk.
Once registered, you will receive the event link one day before the event.
