High-level conference on geopolitical challenges and technological upheaval
At midday on the second day, Dr Bastian Giegerich, Director-General to CEO GSIS, welcomed the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Airbus, Rene Obermann.
In his "Special Innovation Address", Rene Obermann was not sparing in his criticism of the Europeans, the Germans and the procurement system and its bureaucracy. "We Europeans have manoeuvred ourselves into this situation," he said. "The peace dividend has not become a policy, but a mindset". Our procurement system is partly absurd, as is our "small statehood", for which he could not find an English word. In view of our significantly higher economic performance, we should oppose Russia more vigorously. He praised Ukraine and its capacity for innovation and outlined the paths to an innovative European initiative in four points. These include drone technologies, AI, space technology and nuclear deterrence. At the end of his powerful speech, he reminded the "well-educated and privileged audience", as he put it, that the elites must be the first to stand up to the aggressor, stay in the country and lead the way.
One of the highlights of the first day of the conference is the GSIS Accelerator - powered by Speer Group. Five start-ups were selected from over 200 international applications to present their solutions in a pitch format. The GSIS Accelerator aims to bring founders together with investors, political decision-makers and security institutions - with a clear goal: to close Europe's innovation gaps in the security sector through targeted support. In addition to pitching, the finalists benefit from access to an international network and advisory support on fundamental governance issues in the security sector.
Equity investments of up to EUR 5 million per start-up can be made available to the winners of the final presentation, provided that internal investment criteria, a successful due diligence process and standard contract negotiations are met. These investments are provided by the exclusive GSIS venture partner, the Speer Group.
Strong partners
The GSIS is supported by a strong network that brings strategic expertise, technological innovation and international perspectives to the event. In addition to Airbus and Microsoft as founding partners, the programme includes Eraneos, the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and Peregrine.
The summit also builds on long-standing collaborations, including with Bitkom e.V., the leading digital association and Europe's largest think tank for digital issues, and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, which represents the interests of 180,000 companies. The next Global Security and Innovation Summit will take place on 9 and 10 December 2026 at the CCH - Congress Center Hamburg.
The GSIS is not just an annual conference, but a year-round platform for strategic dialogue. In addition to the main event in Hamburg, regional satellite events are planned at IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies) locations worldwide. Digital formats will enable a continuous dialogue between the summits.
Click here for an overview of the speakers and experts:
https://www.gsis-hamburg.com/conference-expo/speakers.
The next GSI in Hamburg will take place from 09 - 10 December 2026 in Hamburg
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