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Ref.
2026/IAIEFTIDS/15564

Job offer type
Experts

Type of contract
Service contract

Deadline date
2026/07/12 16:13

Duration of the assignment
Beaded expertise

Contract
Freelancer

Duration
3 mois

Mission description

The Industry and Innovation Expert serves as the strategic advisor on industrial development, business environment reform, and innovation ecosystems, working in close coordination with the Defence Law Expert and Key Expert to ensure that the National Defence Industry Strategy is grounded in economic reality, industrial best practices, and innovation dynamics. The role encompasses:

   Strategic and operational industrial diagnosis: analysing current defence-related industrial capabilities, value chains, business environment constraints, and innovation potential;

   Industrial policy design: proposing governance models, institutional arrangements, and policy instruments to stimulate investment, innovation, and competitiveness in the defence sector;

   Bridging regulation and industry: translating regulatory frameworks into practical incentives and support mechanisms that industry can actually use; identifying where regulatory requirements need modification to be compatible with business dynamics;

   EU alignment: ensuring that proposed industrial and innovation policies align with EU strategic autonomy objectives, state-aid rules, competition policy, and innovation frameworks.

The expert works under the overall direction of the Project Manager (Expertise France) and the Key Expert; maintains close coordination with the Defence Law Expert and Cyprus Law Expert to ensure coherence across legal, industrial, and innovation dimensions.

The project activities are based in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Industry and Innovation Expert is expected to be available for field missions, workshops, and stakeholder consultations as required.

The contract will run for the entire duration of the project. The estimated workload between the starting of the contract and the end of the project is 100 days (exact number of days to be discussed with the selected expert).

Project or context description

Expertise France, the French agency for international technical cooperation, designs and implements projects that strengthen governance, security, climate, health, and education systems in developing and emerging countries, contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

The Republic of Cyprus has requested the support of the European Commission to assist in drafting its National Defence Industry Strategy and in strengthening the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Republic of Cyprus in terms of regulation, oversight, planning, and decision-making related to the development of the defence industry. The initiative is funded by the European Union, through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), and implemented by Expertise France in collaboration with the EU Commission.

Located at a strategic crossroad in the Mediterranean, the Republic of Cyprus has long faced challenges in defence and security. Its industrial development in this field was constrained for regional balance reasons. The change of EU’s priorities, to now include self-resilience in defence along with the lifting of the U.S arms embargo on Cyprus, has marked a turning point, opening the way to revitalising its national defence industry strategy. Cyprus can now enhance its military capabilities, integrate more deeply into international defence networks, and foster technological innovation.

To consolidate this strategy, it is recommended that the Republic of Cyprus draw inspiration from European good practices and initiatives, particularly the European Defence White Paper: Readiness 2030, which advocates for cooperation and integration within the European Union. Aligning with this vision will enable the Republic of Cyprus to accelerate the modernisation of its armed forces and strengthen its participation in international technological and industrial partnerships.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus plays a major role in defining and implementing this strategy. Its mission is to guarantee national sovereignty by developing an autonomous defence capacity, while aligning with regional and European strategic priorities. In partnership with Expertise France, the Ministry aims to develop a clear and ambitious roadmap promoting technological innovation, local production, equipment maintenance, and research and development.

Within this framework, and as part of the Cyprus Industrial Defence Strategy project, Expertise France is recruiting an Industry and Innovation Expert to serve as the bridge between regulatory design and industrial reality, ensuring the strategy is economically viable, attractive to investors, and aligned with EU industrial policy and innovation frameworks.

Required profile

·       Senior-level professional experience in industrial policy design and implementation, with at least 12 years of professional experience, including at least 8 years in government, multilateral development institutions, specialised consulting, or advisory assignments related to industrial development, innovation policy, or business environment reform, and with substantial and demonstrated experience in the defence sector or in defence-related industries.

·       Proven prior experience working on defence-industrial issues is considered essential. This includes experience related to defence industrial ecosystems, defence innovation, dual-use industries, defence procurement environments, defence value chains, or the design of public policies and support mechanisms specifically applicable to the defence sector. Candidates with direct exposure to defence-industry strategy design, defence market structuring, or defence-related industrial development programmes will be particularly valued.

·       Demonstrated leadership on industrial affairs, manufacturing strategy, business regulation, innovation policy, or defence-industrial development, including the ability to translate complex strategic objectives into concrete, realistic, and implementable public policy measures. Experience advising public authorities on the structuring, modernisation, or scaling-up of defence-related industrial ecosystems will be a strong asset.

·       Deep knowledge of EU industrial and defence-industrial policy frameworks, in particular:

-          European strategic autonomy and defence industrial cooperation initiatives;

-          European Defence Fund (EDF) and related defence innovation and capability-development mechanisms;

-          Smart specialisation strategies and regional innovation policies;

-          EU state-aid rules and their application to industrial support measures;

-          Competitiveness, manufacturing, and innovation policy frameworks relevant to defence and dual-use sectors.

 

·       Expertise in designing and assessing support mechanisms for industrial development, with a strong preference for candidates who have applied such tools in defence or security-related sectors, including:

-          cluster development and industrial ecosystem governance;

-          government procurement policy and strategic purchasing;

-          public-private partnership (PPP) structures and risk allocation;

-          innovation support programmes, including grants, tax incentives, venture capital, incubators, and acceleration schemes;

-          export promotion and access to international markets.

 

·       Experience managing and coordinating with international development institutions and public stakeholders, including:

-          proven engagement with the World Bank, OECD, European Commission, or similar multilateral actors on industrial reform, innovation, competitiveness, or defence-related policy projects;

-          understanding of donor-funded technical assistance in complex institutional environments;

-          demonstrated capacity to adapt international best practices to national realities, particularly in strategic or sensitive sectors.

-          Strong capacity to conduct evidence-based industrial diagnostics, including:

-          quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis;

-          design and implementation of surveys, stakeholder consultations, and semi-structured interviews;

-          ability to convert technical findings into clear strategic recommendations, policy options, and prioritised industrial measures.

 

·       Expertise in multi-stakeholder engagement and reform facilitation, including:

-          proven ability to engage government institutions, defence stakeholders, industry representatives, research institutions, and investors;

-          experience in leading consultations, facilitating consensus-building, and supporting institutional decision-making;

-          ability to communicate complex industrial and defence-policy issues to both technical and non-technical audiences.

·       Good understanding of Cyprus’s economic and industrial context is desirable. Knowledge of the Cypriot defence-industrial ecosystem, its main stakeholders, institutional setting, constraints, and opportunities will be particularly valued. Broader familiarity with Mediterranean economies, small-state industrial policy, or post-crisis / post-conflict development settings will also be considered an asset.

·       • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required. Capacity to work effectively in a multilingual environment and with interpreters, where necessary for Greek-speaking stakeholders, is expected.

Additional information

DELIVERABLES : 

Activity 1: Strategic Diagnosis of Defence Industry Ecosystem (Output 2)

Deliverable: Industrial and innovation components of Output 2 AS-IS/TO-BE Report (8–10 pages), highlighting current state, capability gaps, and opportunities for industrial development.

Activity 2: Design of the National Defence Industry Strategy (Output 4)

Deliverable: Defence Industry Strategy (Output 4) with substantive industrial policy and governance design components (15–20 pages of expert contribution).

Activity 3: Action Plan Development and Implementation Roadmap (Output 5)

Deliverable: Industrial and innovation components of Output 5 Action Plan (5–8 pages), including sequencing, KPIs, and implementation responsibilities.

Activity 4: Support to Regulatory Framework and Financing Architecture (Output 6)

Deliverable: Industry and innovation considerations integrated throughout Output 6 Technical Note; specific contributions to Component 6.6 on Financing Mechanisms.

Activity 5: Capacity-Building, Training, and Stakeholder Engagement (Output 7)

Deliverable: Training modules and materials (12–15 pages) on industrial policy and innovation; co-facilitation of training sessions; contributions to Output 7 Capacity-Building Programme.

Selection criteria for applications

The selection process for candidates will be based on the following criteria :

  • Candidate’s training/skills/experience

Deadline for application : 2026/07/12 16:13

Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :

  • democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
  • peace, stability, and security ;
  • climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
  • health and human development ;

In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results. 

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