The UK’s defence sector has benefitted from the Spring Budget 2025, following the Government announcing a £2.2 billion increase in spending. A key element of the uplift is a £400 million ring-fenced investment in UK Defence Innovation, with at least 10 per cent of the Ministry of Defence’s equipment budget now earmarked for novel technologies.
Here, Simon Farnfield, event director at the annual gathering of manufacturing and engineering professionals Advanced Engineering, explains that although the funding is a positive step, broad collaboration across industries is required to maximise its impact.
Taking place at the NEC Birmingham on October 29 to 30 2025, Advanced Engineering will once again serve as the UK’s leading cross-sector event for engineering and manufacturing. The show, now in its 15th year, brings together businesses from aerospace, automotive, energy, medical, space and more to showcase innovation and build new and existing partnerships.
A significant part of the show includes an emphasis on defence collaboration, recognising how solutions developed for adjacent sectors — from electrification and additive manufacturing to lightweight materials and data systems — are now critical to modern defence programmes.
Meet the Buyer event
A way to provide this is through Advanced Engineering’s longstanding collaboration with ADS, the UK’s premier trade organisation for the aerospace, defence, security and space industries. For companies targeting the aerospace and defence sectors, one of the most effective entry points is the ADS Meet the Buyer programme at the show, a structured matchmaking event that has proven to spark real business outcomes.
Returning for 2025, the Meet the Buyer programme will again offer pre-arranged one-to-one meetings between suppliers and leading OEMs, hosted in a dedicated area behind the Composites Forum in the show’s Composite Zone.
In fact, ADS is now introducing a brand-new feature at Advanced Engineering 2025 — the ADS Pavilion. The Pavilion provides a shared exhibition space that helps elevate the presence of participating companies. Exhibitors will be able to see a large overhead banner to make it easy to spot the Pavilion on the show floor, coupled with informal meeting areas to offer the chance for spontaneous conversations and more relaxed business catchups with customers, suppliers and collaborators.
As part of the package, exhibitors will be included in a Pavilion brochure, available from a literature rack right at the front of the Pavilion. Each company will also benefit from the support of a dedicated ADS Event Manager, on hand to help with every detail from pre-show logistics and product shipping to hotel recommendations and on-site coordination.
Importantly, ADS will also be working closely with the event organisers to bring customer delegations directly through the Pavilion, giving exhibitors even more opportunities to connect with decision-makers and buyers from across the manufacturing ecosystem.
“We are proud to support our members in conducting business both with other companies in the supply chain, and with the Government,” commented Kevin Craven, ADS Chief Executive. “Removing barriers to business and increasing access to other companies is vital to increasing growth and prosperity within our sectors. ADS is passionate about facilitating business development for our members through events like this one and many of our other services.”
In addition, the 2025 edition will feature an upgraded seating layout to accommodate demand and improve flow, alongside a networking lunch hosted by ADS — giving participants even more opportunities to connect informally and explore collaborations.
Suppliers interested in participating can register their interest via the Advanced Engineering website. As with previous editions, ADS will curate the meeting schedule based on aligned interests and procurement needs, helping maximise value for both buyers and sellers.
Defence needs cross-sector innovation
As well as funding, such collaboration helps to drive advancements in technology. From next-gen propulsion and thermal systems to AI-enabled diagnostics and lightweighting techniques, innovations in the defence sector often originate in other domains.
This cross-sector innovation is already in the works at Advanced Engineering 2025, where exhibitors such as Testia, Unipart, ZEISS, Biesse Group, Mipa Paints and Paragon Rapid Technologies will showcase innovative technologies and solutions that either support or have strong potential to scale into defence applications. Because of this, both exhibitors and defence stakeholders are increasingly looking outside traditional supply chains — and shows like Advanced Engineering provide the ideal place to find those capabilities.
The show’s wide-reaching audience and sector-spanning zones — including aerospace, space, automotive, composites, medical devices and energy — make it well placed to support these kinds of cross-sector dialogues. It’s also closely aligned with the UK Government’s innovation and resilience agendas, with this year’s Spring Budget confirming new investment in R&D and defence procurement reform.
The UK’s 2025 Spring Statement outlined a £2.2 billion boost in defence spending, including a £400 million ring-fenced Defence Innovation Fund and a targeted focus on emerging technologies such as AI and autonomous systems. The strategy also placed emphasis on economic growth and SME engagement — with new support hubs designed to help innovative smaller companies access defence procurement pathways.
The message from the Government is clear, maintaining national security in a rapidly evolving threat landscape demands not only increased investment, but also collaboration across industries. Whether it’s autonomous systems informed by AI, medical devices that inform frontline triage, or electric vehicle battery innovations finding new applications in uncrewed ground vehicles, breakthroughs often come from unexpected intersections.
“We’re hearing loud and clear that defence primes and public sector buyers are looking to tap into innovation from sectors like EV, data centres, or even healthcare,” added Simon Farnfield, Event Director for Advanced Engineering. “That’s exactly what Advanced Engineering facilitates. You might have a med-tech company developing cooling systems that turn out to be perfect for high-performance military vehicles. The connections are real — and they’re happening at this show.”
This appetite for cross-sector collaboration is not just to buy kit, but to create integrated, adaptable and high-performance systems, often through modular design and digital engineering principles. That means suppliers with experience in agile production, digital twins or even smart materials are suddenly highly relevant — whether or not they’ve worked in defence before.
This kind of cross-sector collaboration is increasingly being embedded into defence procurement strategy, and shows like Advanced Engineering help to accelerate it. As defence spending rises and the sector calls for more agile, tech-driven supply chains, it’s no longer enough to think in silos because defence needs a broader base of innovation.
Advanced Engineering 2025 takes place at the NEC Birmingham on October 29 to 30. To enquire about exhibiting or participating in ADS’ Meet the Buyer event, visit www.advancedengineeringuk.com.
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