REQUIRED PROFILE OF THE EXPERT 

 Inception Report

Expert Type: Key Expert (KE) - Defence strategy expert / generalist

Profile: Senior defence industry strategy expert / Project inception specialist

Expected Skills: Proven experience in European defence/innovation projects; Mastery of EU funding programmes (EDF, Horizon…); Capacity for multi-stakeholder institutional coordination (MoD, SG REFORM, European Commission); Fluent English mandatory, Greek appreciated; In-depth knowledge of Cypriot/European defence ecosystem; Prior participation in such mission particularly valued ; Strong leadership abilities in network management and stakeholder coordination; Expert-level project scoping and work planning capabilities; Excellent writing and summarizing skills for inception reports; Outstanding communication skills with high-level authorities; Capacity to design project governance structures and establish KPIs.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXPERT

The expert, acting as the person responsible for the technical monitoring and oversight of activities, will carry out the following tasks:

Activity 1: Organisation of the Kick-off Meeting

A kick-off meeting will be organised with the expert and the Expertise France project team.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss all relevant operational aspects of the project, as previously outlined. This may include planned activities and timelines, priority areas, identified risks and proposed mitigation measures.

The goal is to ensure that all participants share a clear and common understanding of the project’s scope, context, and requirements—thus fostering national ownership and supporting effective implementation of the strategy.

Other relevant matters for project implementation may also be presented and discussed.

Documents to be produced by the expert (with support from the project team):

• Summary of the current state of Cyprus’s defence industry;
• Proposals for strategic directions for Cyprus’s defence industry strategy;
• Key elements of the proposed methodology to achieve the project objectives;
• Proposed implementation timeline;
• Organisation of human resources;
• Proposed governance structure.

It is expected that the Cypriot Ministry of Defence (CYMOD) will share a synthesis of key points from the national defence strategy in preparation for the next phase, including:

• Threat assessment and perspectives;
• Armed forces model;
• Main operational capability requirements.

The expert, with support from the project officer, will be responsible for organising the meeting, preparing the agenda and presentation materials, coordinating participants, and drafting a brief report to be shared with the Steering Committee following the meeting.

Activity 2 : Drafting of the Inception Report

Based on the exchanges and information gathered during the two-month inception phase, the expert will draft a detailed Inception Report (including the data validation methodology). This report will present the main challenges identified, specific project objectives, proposed methodology, indicative schedule, and key performance indicators.

Building on the conclusions and agreements reached during the kick-off meeting, this report will formalise the project’s direction and approach.

The report will include a refined work plan, a clearly defined scope of intervention, data and information requirements, and communication protocols, drawing on stakeholder inputs and meeting discussions.

After consultation with the Cypriot partner and SG REFORM regarding possible revisions to the approach, the expert (supported by the project team) will submit the Inception Report within four weeks following the kick-off meeting.

The report shall include, at minimum:

• Summary of meetings held and stakeholders consulted during the inception phase;
• Description of stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities;
• Updated and validated work plan and timetable;
• Detailed and validated description of deliverables and working methods;
• List of data, documents, and information reviewed during the inception phase;
• Updated risk analysis and proposed mitigation measures.