Frequently asked questions

Don't take your questions home with you

To create an account, you must click on the button “Sign up” in the upper right-hand corner or use the link Sign up.

The registration at Smart Defence is aimed at people and entities in the national and international Defence sector, including military attachés, investigation centres and universities, journalists, and many others.

To create a personal profile, you must be associated with an entity within the Defence sector, although the entity does not need to have a registered entity profile on the platform. Nonetheless, your personal profile account will be suspended after 60 days if the associated entity profile is not created within the mentioned timeframe. During this period the platform administrators will contact the non-registered associated entity to incentivise it to create an entity profile.

If you want to create an entity profile you must first sign up.

To create an entity profile, you must first register on Smart Defence. After registering, when logging in for the first time, you will be able to choose between creating a personal profile or creating an entity profile. You can also create an entity's profile at any time through your personal profile. To do so, click on the “My profile” button, in the upper right corner of the screen, and access the “Create entity profile” area.

Smart Defence is a platform that aims to bring together, in a single space, individuals and national and international entities that participate in the Defence sector, such as the Ministry of National Defence, members of the armed forces, diplomatic attachés, private companies, research centres, students, journalists - among others - as well as business opportunities. The platform's mission is to foster business and knowledge in the Defence ecosystem, giving visibility to registered entities and available opportunities, such as national or international public tenders. To speed up the search and identification process, we use a matchmaking system that connects user profiles with opportunities and funding. For a more detailed explanation see the About Us page.

The matchmaking system connects user and entity profiles with business opportunities and financing that exist in the Defence sector. Opportunities are designated public tenders, entities, and business ideas, among others.

This mechanism is based on artificial intelligence algorithms.

The goal is to accelerate the search and identification of businesses in the Defence ecosystem.

The business opportunities that exist on the platform consist of grants and public financing, adequate information about entities, and business ideas, among others.

It should also be noted that the Smart Defence aggregates tenders and public funding that are dispersed on other platforms in a single space, giving them visibility and facilitating their identification by users and entities.

If you no longer have access to your email address and are unable to access your account, you should contact the platform administrators Smart Defence. You can do this through the following means:

The Digital Mobile Key is a means of authentication and digital signature certified by the Portuguese State. As such, the computing infrastructure of this authentication is external to Smart Defence. If the problem persists, visit the page https://www.autenticacao.gov.pt/web/guest/contactos.You can also contact the administrators of the Smart Defence platform through the following means:

The Gov.pt sign up is an identification and authentication process created by the Portuguese government, in which the recognition and validation of an individual is done through the Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital) or the Portuguese citizen's card (cartão de cidadão). Gov.pt sign up allows users to access their personal account on the platform Smart Defence without having to use the e-mail address and password, although they must be indicated at the time of registration. Simple sign up consists of the identification and authentication process typical of digital platforms.

The Gov.pt registry is a means of authentication and digital signature certified by the Portuguese government. As such, the computing infrastructure of this authentication is external to Smart Defence. If the problem persists, visit the page https://www.autenticacao.gov.pt/web/guest/contactos. You can also contact the administrators of the Smart Defence platform through the following means:

To create an entity profile, you must first create an account on Smart Defence. After registering, when logging in for the first time, you will be able to choose between creating a personal profile or creating an entity profile. You can also create an entity's profile at any time through your personal profile. To do so, click on the “My profile” button, in the upper right corner of the screen, and access the “Create entity profile” area.

Entity profiles are intended to be the digital representation of an entity of the Defence sector, including private and public companies, research centres, universities, etc..., in the Smart Defence platform.

Personal profiles aim to serve as an avatar in the Smart Defence platform for everyone who participates or is connected to the Defence sector. To create a personal profile, you must be associated with an entity within the industry, although it is not necessary for the profile of that entity to have already been created in the platform. However, your account will be suspended if the profile of the entity with which you are associated is not validated within 60 days. During this period, administrators of Smart Defence will contact the entity to encourage profiling.

If you initially choose to create a personal profile, you can always create an entity profile later. To do this, you must access your personal profile, click the "My profile" button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and enter the "Create entity profile" area.

It is true that you must be associated with an entity to create a personal profile, but it is not necessary for the profile of that entity to have already been created. However, in that case, your account will be suspended if the profile of the entity with which you are associated is not validated within 60 days. During this period, Smart Defence administrators will contact the entity to encourage the creation of the profile.

Linking a personal profile to an entity is a requirement that aims to limit the use of the platform to individuals who participate in or are related to the Defence sector, facilitating the mission of Smart Defence: to foster business and knowledge in the Defence ecosystem, giving visibility to registered entities and opportunities available, such as national or international public tenders and grants.

The Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB) is comprised of national technological and industrial entities with relevant competencies for the Defence sector. DTIB is a set of publicly owned (including organic capacities of the Armed Forces) and private institutions, companies, and scientific and technological entities, with the capacity to intervene in the life cycle of the Armed Forces ecosystem. This includes equipment, the creation of qualified employment, reinforcement of exports, and national stance in the international Defence market. The management is done by idD – Portugal Defence, working within the framework of Portugal's Defence Economy.

I - idD Portugal Defence and DTIB

The National Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB) is made up of companies and entities from the SCTN, public and/or private, with the capacity to intervene in one or more of the stages of the logistical life cycle of equipment (Council of Ministers Resolution 52/2023). Its members are companies and other entities that demonstrate the ability to compete in the international Defence and Security markets through the development of new technologies or solutions, the production of equipment or the provision of services.

Depending on the membership status they apply for, organisations that meet at least one of the following criteria can be members of DTIB:

Full member:

  • Entities participating in RD&I projects funded (or with a letter of comfort, or equivalent, issued by the Ministry of National Defence) in programmes such as the European Defence Fund (EDF), Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) or other equivalent;
  • Companies that, under the terms of Law no.49/2009, of 5 August, are authorised by the Ministry of National Defence to operate in the military goods and technologies industry;
  • Companies that, under the terms of Law no. 49/2009, of 5 August, are authorised to trade in military goods and technologies by the Ministry of National Defence;
  • Companies or entities from the National Scientific and Technological System that in the last five years have been involved in one or more of the stages of the logistics life cycle of Armed Forces equipment with an unequivocal direct technological and/or industrial contribution. This excludes, in particular, entities engaged in commercial provision through the purchase, sale, rental, import, export, re-export, transit, commercial or financial intermediation of components or complete systems for use by the Armed Forces, provided that the entity is not directly involved in the research, planning, testing, manufacture, assembly, repair, transformation, maintenance or demilitarisation of said components or systems.

Partner member:

  • Companies or organisations in the National Scientific and Technological System with the capacity to intervene in one or more of the stages of the logistics life cycle of Armed Forces equipment with an unequivocal direct technological and/or industrial contribution and which have not had such an intervention in the last five years.

II - Benefits and Obligations of DTIB

Membership of DTIB provides its members with the following benefits and obligations:

Benefits for full members:

  • Access to business opportunities in all areas of Defence, national and international, including those of organisations such as NATO and the European Defence Agency;
  • Access to information on national and international military equipment programmes and other needs of Portugal's partners and allies; Support in contacts and establishment of potential partnerships between companies, contacts with research and knowledge centres and the Armed Forces;
  • Support for the formation or integration into consortia, joint applications to co-financing programmes and participation in collaborative projects, national and international, for the development or acquisition of solutions in the areas of security and defence;
  • Specialised training geared to members' needs; Exchange of professional experience in managing procurement processes and knowledge of good practices in the defence sector;
  • Support for participation in trade missions and national and international fairs;
  • Promotion and support for BTID members' activities and projects that contribute to the development of the defence sector in Portugal;
  • Access to the idD Portugal Defence knowledge platform and other national and international sources of information;
  • Legal and advisory support;
  • International recognition of the suitability of BTID members;
  • Access to the use of the BTID brand;
  • Priority access to participation in events such as national and international fairs, workshops, industry days, talks, etc. organised by the idD;
  • All the benefits available to partner members.

Benefits for partner members:

  • Access to information on business opportunities in all areas of Defence, national and international, including those of organisations such as NATO and the European Defence Agency;
  • Access to information on national and international military equipment programmes and other needs of Portugal's partners and allies;
  • Promotion of projects and dissemination of activities that contribute to the development of the Defence sector in Portugal.

Obligations of all members:

  • Act in a responsible and correct manner towards all their interlocutors within the scope of the DTIB, under penalty of exclusion;
  • Maintain the confidentiality of data and other information relating to the activities carried out within the scope of the DTIB whenever required;
  • Make a formal commitment to respond to requests from idD Portugal Defence as the managing body of the DTIB;
  • Update the information and documentation referred to in point 4 annually during the first quarter of each year;
  • Appoint a natural person and their contact details (name, email and telephone number) to be the entity's official Point of Contact with the DTIB;
  • Contribute to the smooth running of the DTIB and keep the information repository of the entity it represents permanently updated, informing Portugal Defence of any changes, such as changes to governing bodies, contact details or company name.

III - Conditions for entry into the DTIB

Companies, non-business entities from the national scientific and technological system, business associations and other organisations that carry out industrial production, services or other activities related to the value chain of the naval, land, aeronautics, space and cyber industries within the scope of security and defence, and that express their interest in joining the DTIB, may join the DTIB.

The mere intermediation of the sale of goods or services, even if based in Portuguese territory, is not covered by this criterion and does not give access to the status of DTIB member company.

idD Portugal Defence has sole discretion over the admission of any candidate to DTIB, as well as over the exclusion of any DTIB member.

The legal name, business name, CAE and NIPC is information required by the platform Smart Defence to validate the profile of registered entities. Creating entity profiles does not always require filling in the prementioned fields (NIPC and CAE are specific to Portuguese entities). In cases where information is mandatory (some fields are optional) it must be filled in so that the entity's profile can be validated. For more information, you can contact the administrators of the platform [name of the platform] through the following means:

The Smart Defence platform distinguishes between six entity types:

  • Company: a category that covers private entities related to the Defence sector.
  • Business and/or industrial association: a category that includes organizations such as unions and other types of communities.
  • National Scientific and Technological System (Academy, University, Institutions, Laboratory, Research Centre, Training Centre, and similar): a category that includes Portuguese academies, universities, faculties, polytechnics, institutes, training centres, laboratories, research centres, among others.
  • Portuguese Armed Forces
  • Government Office, Ministry or Secretaries of State: a category that covers executive power institutions
  • Agency or Institution (public): a category that covers public entities related to the Defence sector.

The matchmaking system connects user and entity profiles with business opportunities and financing that exist in the Defence sector. Opportunities are designated public tenders, entities, and business ideas, among others.

This mechanism is based on artificial intelligence algorithms.

The goal is to accelerate the search and identification of businesses in the Defence ecosystem.

You can check your entity's security clearance here. If the entity does not have security clearance, you can find out how to create it here.

You can change or deepen the granularity of your domains of interest, or of your entity, on your personal profile area, or on your entity's profile area. To do this you must click on "My profile" and select the area "Preferences", where you will find the domains of interest divided by operational domains, categories, competences and areas of expertise. If you are viewing your own domains of interest and wish to access your entity’s domains of interest (which is only possible if you are an administrator of the same entity on the platform), you should first change the profile you are using by clicking on the icon located next to the "My profile" button and selecting the profile that interests you.

Grants and tenders presented on Smart Defence contain instructions on how to apply. To find out how you can apply for the different opportunities, you should consult the information available in the area referring to each one.

Participation in some events may be limited to individuals whose entities are registered with DTIB. To guarantee your participation in the events promoted, you must contact idD (the entity that manages the platform [name of the platform]) through the following means:

To access your personal profile or your entity profile (if you are an administrator of a registered entity on Smart Defence) you must click on the icon next to the “My profile” button, located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. By selecting the icon, you will be able to choose between accessing your personal profile or your entity profile.

The Technological Defence and Industrial Base (DTIB) is comprised of national technological and industrial entities with relevant competencies for the Defence sector. DTIB is a set of publicly owned (including organic capacities of the Armed Forces) and private institutions, companies, and scientific and technological entities, with the capacity to intervene in the life cycle of the Armed Forces ecosystem. This includes equipment, the creation of qualified employment, reinforcement of exports and national stance in the international Defence market. Management is done by idD – Portugal Defence, working within the framework of Portugal's Defence Economy.

Being a member of DTIB provides the following benefits and obligations to its members:

Benefits for full members:

  • Access to business opportunities in all areas of Defence, national and international, including those of organisations such as NATO and the European Defence Agency;
  • Access to information on national and international military equipment programmes and other needs of Portugal's partners and allies; Support in contacts and establishment of potential partnerships between companies, contacts with research and knowledge centres and the Armed Forces;
  • Support for the formation or integration into consortia, joint applications to co-financing programmes and participation in collaborative projects, national and international, for the development or acquisition of solutions in the areas of security and defence;
  • Specialised training geared to members' needs; Exchange of professional experience in managing procurement processes and knowledge of good practices in the defence sector;
  • Support for participation in trade missions and national and international fairs;
  • Promotion and support for BTID members' activities and projects that contribute to the development of the defence sector in Portugal;
  • Access to the idD Portugal Defence knowledge platform and other national and international sources of information;
  • Legal and advisory support;
  • International recognition of the suitability of BTID members;
  • Access to the use of the BTID brand;
  • Priority access to participation in events such as national and international fairs, workshops, industry days, talks, etc. organised by the idD;
  • All the benefits available to partner members.

Benefits for partner members:

  • Access to information on business opportunities in all areas of Defence, national and international, including those of organisations such as NATO and the European Defence Agency;
  • Access to information on national and international military equipment programmes and other needs of Portugal's partners and allies;
  • Promotion of projects and dissemination of activities that contribute to the development of the Defence sector in Portugal.

Obligations of all members:

  • Act in a responsible and correct manner towards all their interlocutors within the scope of the DTIB, under penalty of exclusion;
  • Maintain the confidentiality of data and other information relating to the activities carried out within the scope of the DTIB whenever required;
  • Make a formal commitment to respond to requests from idD Portugal Defence as the managing body of the DTIB;
  • Update the information and documentation referred to in point 4 annually during the first quarter of each year;
  • Appoint a natural person and their contact details (name, email and telephone number) to be the entity's official Point of Contact with the DTIB;
  • Contribute to the smooth running of the DTIB and keep the information repository of the entity it represents permanently updated, informing idD Portugal Defence of any changes, such as changes to governing bodies, contact details or company name.

The point of contact indicates the person within the entity who should be contacted by idD (the entity managing Smart Defence) on matters relating to the Smart Defence platform. The point of contact is also a reference for other users of Smart Defence if they wish to contact the entity about business opportunities or other matters.

Notifications preferences for your entity can be changed in the “Preferences” tab (if you are one of the administrators). To access the “Preferences” tab, click on the “My profile” button located in the upper right-hand corner of the page. If you are using your personal profile and wish to change to your entity profile, or vice-versa, you can switch profiles by clicking on the icon next to the “My profile” button and selecting the desired profile.

You can change or deepen the granularity of the interest domains in the personal profile area. To do this, click on “My profile” and select the “Preferences” area where you will find the interest domains split by operational domains, categories, competences and areas of specialization. If you are viewing your interest domains and want to access the interest domains of your entity (which can only be done if you happen to be one of the administrators) you must switch profiles by clicking on the icon located next to the “My profile” button and selecting the desired profile.

It is only necessary for the profile of an administrator of an entity to be validated in cases where it is registered with DTIB. This is because DTIB is the set of national (including organic capacities of the Armed Forces) and private institutions, companies and scientific and technological entities, with the capacity to intervene in the different phases of the armed forces life cycle and to contribute to the creation of qualified employment, reinforcement of exports and national affirmation in international Defence. For more information, you can contact the administrators of the platform Smart Defence through the following means:

The validation of your profile, as an administrator of an entity is carried out by submitting a copy of the citizen's identity card (cartão de cidadão) or through authentication with Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital). Authentication with Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital) can be done at the time of registration or at a later stage through the “DTIB” area. The submission of your citizen identity card (cartão de cidadão) or that of another administrator is also carried out through the “DTIB” area. The “DTIB” area is located within the “My profile” area of ​​your entity. To access it, start by selecting your entity's profile, clicking on the icon located next to the “My profile” button. Then access the “My profile” area and click on “DTIB” to find the “Documentation” section and submit your citizen's identity card (cartão de cidadão) or authentication with a Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital).

For your profile to be valid and active, it must be associated with an entity. In case you want to change it, you must consider the following two different scenarios:

  1. You are not an administrator of an entity. In this case, simply click on the “My profile” button, located in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and access the “User profile” area, where you can change the field referring to your entity. If you want to create an entity profile, you can access the “Create entity profile” area, available through your personal profile area.
  2. You are an administrator of an entity. In this case, you must remove yourself as an administrator before creating a new entity or altering the entity to which you are associated. To do so, you access your entity's profile by clicking on the icon next to the “My profile” button and selecting your entity's profile. Then enter the entity's profile area and select the “Entity information” section, where you can find the list of administrators of the entity. Click on the 3 buttons on the right side of the administrator you want to remove. If you are the sole administrator of the entity, you must add a new administrator before removing yourself from administrator roles. After you are no longer an administrator, simply click on the “My profile” button, located in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and access the “User profile” area, where you can change the field referring to your entity.

You may not be able to create an entity profile because you are the administrator of another entity on the Smart Defence platform. Therefore, please make sure that you do not have an administrative role on the platform before creating an entity profile. To do so, you access your entity's profile by clicking on the icon next to the “My profile” button and selecting your entity's profile. Then enter the entity's profile area and select the “Entity information” section, where you can find the list of administrators of the entity. Click on the 3 buttons on the right side of the administrator you want to remove. If you are the sole administrator of the entity, you must add a new administrator before removing yourself from administrator roles. If you are still unable to create an entity's profile or if the problem cannot be corrected in this way, you should contact the Smart Defence administrators through the following means:

Each entity is limited to three administrators.

Grants are funds that are intended to support projects or organizations that promote interests or contribute to the execution of a program or policies in the Defence sector. Tenders are contests through which governments or financial institutions accept proposals for the realization of specific projects in the Defence sector.

Participation in events may be limited to individuals whose entities are registered with DTIB. To guarantee your participation in the announced events, you must contact idD (the entity that manages the platform [name of the platform]) through the following means:

Each opportunity made available on the Smart Defence platform contains an area with the relevant information about the opportunity. To access it, just click on the opportunity that interests you. If you do not find the regulation, carefully read the information provided to find the link or the process you must follow to access the regulation.

You may not be able to comment because of inappropriate behavior. If you think this is not the case or if you would like more information, please contact the Smart Defence administrators through the following means:

You may not be able to like publications because of inappropriate behavior. If you think this is not the case or if you would like more information, please contact the Smart Defence administrators through the following means:

You may not be able to report posts or comments because of past inappropriate behavior. If you think this is not the case or if you would like more information, please contact the Smart Defence administrators through the following means:

Yes. You can consult the projects in which entities registered in Smart Defence are or have been working in the “Projects” page accessible through the “Home page”.

Your data will be processed for the following purposes:

  • Implementation of an analytical process of data crossing with the exclusive purpose of carrying out matchmaking between the skills selected for your entity and the opportunities existing on the platform.
  • Manage communications regarding actions or events related to the Smart Defence platform. The personal data processed comes from the information provided by the user when completing the forms that you may find on the platform [name of the platform] or through the means used to request the user's access to the processes of registration. Specifically, here is the following data to be processed:

Identification data: name, surnames, e-mail and telephone contact.

Data related to the registered entity, provided in the registration process. In some cases, data relating to the registered entity may come from third parties, such as portals that provide commercial information about companies, professional social networks, among others. All of them are subject to their own Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

For more information, you can consult the Privacy Policy of Smart Defence or contact the platform administrators through the following means:

idD Portugal Defence is an exclusively publicly owned company under joint supervision of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Finance. idD Portugal Defence aims to make the Defence Technological and Industrial Base a relevant international player within the Defence Economy, through the following axes:

  • Management of shareholdings held by the Portuguese government in companies of the Defence sector.
  • Management of the Technological Defence and Industrial Base (DTIB), including representation of the DTIB and the Portuguese government in the European Union, NATO and in international forums relevant to the Defence Economy.
  • Promoting the cooperation between the Armed Forces, companies, universities, and research centres.
  • Advising on military equipment transactions, namely within the scope of the execution of the Lei de Programação Militar. [more information here]
  • Support for operations to make the most of assets in the Defence area. National Government, namely within the scope of the implementation of the respective Lei de Infraestruturas.

The Newsletter does not have a defined regularity. The Newsletter contains information about news in the Defence ecosystem, as well as initiatives promoted by idD (the entity that manages the platform Smart Defence).