RISE: A platform bringing together engineering, defense, science, and innovation

The RISE forum, held in Yerevan on June 3–4, aims to become more than just a showcase of Armenian companies’ achievements. Its organizers envision it as a platform where new partnerships, ideas, and real contracts can emerge. That is the goal outlined by Eduard Musaelyan, Executive Director at the Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technologies (UEICT), in an interview with NEWS.am Tech.

According to Musaelyan, the forum’s greatest value lies not only in displaying existing products, but also in bringing together participants from Armenia’s technology ecosystem and helping them connect with one another.

“Our broader goal and expectation for RISE is for it to become a hub where real deals are made and genuine partnerships are formed. It is still too early to say exactly what collaborations will emerge, but if we lay the right foundation now, we will begin to see results this year and even more so in the years ahead,” he said.

More Than 40 Companies Under One Roof

The forum, with NEWS.am Tech serving as its media partner, brought together more than 40 leading companies and organizations working in defense, engineering, education, and scientific research.

According to Musaelyan, one of the exhibition’s defining features is that it presents both finished products and projects currently at various stages of development.

For the organizers, however, facilitating interaction among participants is just as important.

“Our goal is to create a complete chain of collaboration, where companies communicate with one another, know who is working on which technologies, and understand each other’s capabilities. Why shouldn’t new ideas and new forms of cooperation emerge right here?” he said.

Companies from the defense industry occupy a central place in the exhibition. Some of their products have been showcased before, but many developments are being presented to a wider audience for the first time. A number of projects are still in development and are using the forum as an opportunity to introduce themselves and find potential partners.

Why Defense, Cybersecurity, and Engineering Belong Together

One of RISE’s distinguishing features is its decision to bring together several fields under a single umbrella: defense, engineering, science, innovation, and cybersecurity.

According to Musaelyan, this was no coincidence. He believes that modern defense technologies cannot be viewed separately from other high-tech industries. In fact, this is the first time all of these sectors have been brought together on a single platform.

“Today, cybersecurity is an integral component of modern defense systems and a matter of national security. The modern defense industry is, at its core, a technology sector. We do not want to separate these fields. On the contrary, we want to build bridges between them,” he explained.

That is why the forum was designed as a space where representatives of different sectors can interact, exchange ideas, and identify areas of common interest.

Visitors Were Reluctant to Leave

Interest in the event was strong. According to Musaelyan, the organizers could see this not only from the number of registered participants and visitors, but also from people’s behavior at the venue itself.

“I’ll share a small secret: during the forum, many people were literally waiting for the presentations to end so they could return to the exhibition hall and continue exploring. That tells us they simply did not have enough time to see, touch, understand, and examine everything on display,” he said.

The organizers plan to evaluate the event’s success using several criteria, including visitor numbers, the number of new contacts and partnerships established between participants, and feedback from guests regarding both the products on display and the forum itself.

A Forum Meant to Become a Fixture

Although this year’s RISE was the first event of its kind in Armenia, the organizers intend to make it a regular fixture.

“We hope the forum will continue, because we genuinely believe we can become a technological hub on the regional map—a place where new ideas are born, deals are made, and competitive products are created,” Musaelyan said.

At the same time, the organizers stress that their objective is not simply to hold another industry event. Their primary goal is to ensure that it delivers tangible value to both participating companies and visitors.

Musaelyan is confident that if the technology sector continues to grow at its current pace, the organizers may soon need to look for a larger venue. While the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex is currently capable of hosting the industry’s leading companies, it may eventually prove too small for future editions of the event.

“I would be delighted if we outgrew this venue. It would mean there are more companies, that the industry is expanding, and that we need to create an even more dynamic and large-scale environment for growth and development,” he concluded.