From Policy to Production: Capitalising on the UK's £298B Defence Plan
- Karina G. Shevchenko
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
The recent announcement by the UK Government committing an additional £15 billion to back a £298 billion Defence Investment Plan over the next four years marks a historic pivot toward modernised warfighting. With a substantial £5 billion specifically earmarked for advanced uncrewed systems, alongside a pledge to reach 2.7% of GDP on defence spending in the 2027 and 2028 financial year, the public sector has laid down an unequivocal mandate.
But as governments increase defence spending, industrial policy evolves and geopolitical competition intensifies, investors face a fundamental challenge. A pressing question remains: how to properly allocate capital into the capabilities that will underpin Europe's long term resilience. Public funding alone cannot instantly bridge the significant gaps that remain between innovation, industrial capacity, procurement requirements and deployable capability.
This intersection of capital and capability is precisely the focus of the upcoming DSR Investment Forum, taking place in London on 7 July 2026. Hosted by Nord Sloane Ventures, this curated forum serves as a direct interface between capital, capability and procurement. As the UK looks to radically scale its autonomous fleets and rebuild sovereign manufacturing, public and private stakeholders must work together to accelerate resilience outcomes.
Key Event Themes Aligning with Today's Defence Mandate
Capital Allocation for Industrial Resilience: As governments seek greater strategic autonomy and industrial readiness, investors are increasingly evaluating opportunities across manufacturing, logistics, critical infrastructure and strategic suppliers. The Defence Investment Plan outlines a clear ambition to make the UK the most attractive place in the world to invest in defence, security and resilience.
Securing the Digital Supply Chain: As defence, critical infrastructure and industrial systems become increasingly interconnected, cyber resilience has become a prerequisite for operational readiness, investment confidence and national security. The government is committing £2.5 billion into the cyber and electromagnetic domain to defend the UK against daily cyber attacks.
Biotech Resilience: Biological resilience is increasingly recognised as a strategic capability. Our fireside chat will explore how AI enabled systems and interoperable technical architectures can accelerate treatment, monitoring, prediction and vaccine development in high risk pathogen scenarios.
Agile Innovation and Industrial Scaling: The conflict in Ukraine has dramatically reshaped the defence landscape, proving that agile companies can innovate faster than traditional and rigid procurement systems. Moving critical defence solutions from rapid concept to combat ready, scalable capability requires a new financial and industrial blueprint. The UK's new plan explicitly highlights learning lessons from the Ukraine war to equip forces to confront and deter the latest threats.
Expert Insights on the New Resilience Economy
The event will feature a keynote address from Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO of Templar International Group. He will examine the structural gap between innovation and deployable capability, exploring how governments, investors and industry leaders can align investment with operational requirements.
Other featured speakers driving these critical conversations include:
Brian Kinane, Co-Founder & General Partner at SVV (Sure Valley Ventures)
Zara Noshirwani, Vice President at Santander Corporate & Investment Banking
Bruce Leith , CEO at SIYTE (Purple Transform)
Rupert J. Strachwitz, Managing Partner at SteelRock Capital
Steve Kennett, CISO and International Cyber and Regulatory Operations Advisor
Cody Barrow, Security Leader and former CEO of EclecticIQ
Manu Sharma, Visiting Professor, Centre for Active Resilience and Cyber Security at Imperial College London; former Partner & Head of Cyber Security at Grant Thornton UK
Rory Popert , Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Anima Prior Systems
Brooks Newmark, Founder and Chairman at Trypillian
Nathan Kelleher, Managing Director for UK and Europe at Al Liwan Group
Panos Alex Sevdalis, Policy Officer at the European Commission, European Innovation Council
Anu Khurmi, DSR Partner at Nord Sloane Ventures
Brian Patrick Luining, Venture Partner at Nord Sloane Ventures
Karina G. Shevchenko, Founding Partner at Nord Sloane Ventures
If you are a capital provider, corporate leader or policymaker influencing the DSR investment industry, we invite you to register now to secure your place and help build investable pathways from innovation to production.
Event Details & Registration
Date: 7 July 2026
Time: 11:00 to 16:00
Location: Central London (see website page)
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