Expertise France, the French agency for international technical cooperation, is a key actor in supporting sustainable public policy development worldwide. It 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.

Greece has requested the support of the European Commission to assist in the capacity-building of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation (HCDI). Through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), SG REFORM is financing Expertise France to provide expertise and ensure the strengthening of HCDI’s capacities.

The HCDI was created with the primary purpose of developing the innovation ecosystem in the dual-use and defence research and development (R&D) sector, stimulating technological progress, and implementing structural reforms aimed at enhancing resilience. Furthermore, the EU’s “ReArm Europe” initiative emphasizes the need to strengthen military preparedness and effectiveness, in line with objectives to translate the operational needs of the Greek Armed Forces into concrete solutions. Additionally, the future of European defence, as defined by the European Commission in the White Paper on the Future of European Defence, involves developing strategic autonomy and collaborative defence strategies within the EU. 

As a key entity tasked with transforming the operational needs of the Greek Armed Forces into concrete solutions, HCDI faces several challenges, including the underdevelopment of dual-use technologies, the absence of a comprehensive government-wide innovation strategy, and limited access to financial instruments. These gaps hinder innovation, weaken national security preparedness, and create inefficiencies in resource allocation.

To address these issues, the project will strengthen Greece’s defence innovation ecosystem by enhancing HCDI’s capabilities.

Within this framework, under the ELKAK DEFENCE INNOVATION project, Expertise France is hiring an expert to implement the Output 8 of the project: Report reviewing the governance and organisational structure of HCDI.

The expert will carry out, inter alia, the following tasks:

Task 1 – Governance and Organisational Assessment 

·       Review HCDI’s legal and institutional framework, internal regulations, governance documents, organisational charts, procedures, and strategic documents.

·       Analyse the current governance arrangements, including:

·       Board and committee structures;

·       Executive management arrangements;

·       Delegation of authority mechanisms;

·       Accountability and reporting systems;

·       Internal control and oversight mechanisms.

·       Assess the clarity of roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes.

·       Examine organisational effectiveness and alignment with HCDI’s strategic objectives.

Task 2 – Institutional Diagnosis and SWOT Analysis

·       Conduct interviews and consultations with HCDI management, staff, Ministry of Defence representatives, Armed Forces stakeholders, research institutions, industry representatives, and relevant ecosystem actors.

·       Carry out a comprehensive SWOT analysis of HCDI’s governance and organisational model.

·       Identify organisational bottlenecks, duplication of functions, governance gaps, and operational inefficiencies.

·       Assess the balance between compliance requirements and operational agility.

Task 3 – Review of Key Internal Processes

Assess the effectiveness of critical organisational processes, including:

·       Project selection, evaluation and approval mechanisms;

·       Contract management and financial oversight procedures;

·       Stakeholder engagement and coordination processes;

·       Internal communication and information flows;

·       Knowledge management and institutional learning systems;

·       Monitoring, reporting and performance management arrangements.

Task 4 – Benchmarking and Good Practices

·       Review relevant international governance models and defence innovation agencies.

·       Identify governance and organisational good practices applicable to HCDI.

·       Analyse digital and management tools that could improve institutional performance, coordination and decision-making.

Task 5 – Development of Recommendations

Develop practical recommendations covering:

·       Governance structure and decision-making arrangements;

·       Organisational design and allocation of functions;

·       Accountability and transparency mechanisms;

·       Internal coordination and information management;

·       Performance management framework and KPIs;

·       Human resource implications and change management requirements;

·       Potential amendments to regulations, bylaws, or internal procedures.

Task 6 – Validation and Finalisation

·       Present preliminary findings to Expertise France, HCDI and relevant stakeholders.

·       Facilitate validation workshops.

·       Incorporate comments and produce the final report.