Pooling of Defence Research and Development

The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) is one of the main independent European Think Tanks on geopolitical and strategic issues.

IRIS, a public-interest association created in 1991, is a French think tank on geopolitical and strategic issues. It is the only international think tank to have been set up as a totally private initiative in an independent approach. IRIS activities can be divided into four fields: research, organisation of events and meetings, publishing and training.

IRIS Notes, written by IRIS experts or IRIS associate fellow researchers offer an in-depth analysis of current affairs.Abstract:

In the early 21st century, with countries unable to afford to buy the military equipment they needed on their own, they had no choice but to cooperate. Pooling of defence R&D should be viewed in this context. Companies might have been interested in pooling their R&D effort for economic reasons or to promote innovation, which would itself be positive for their development. However, not all conditions were favourable for pooling, as the literature suggested.