Credit: Uplift360
On Thursday 9 July 2026, advanced materials company Uplift360 announced that it had secured a multi-year framework agreement with Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence (DOD) aimed at strengthening Europe's supply chain for advanced materials used in the aerospace and defence sectors.
The agreement follows the launch of a multinational project on defence critical raw materials by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum.
According to Uplift360, the partnership is intended to reinforce Europe's sovereign supply of advanced materials by producing high-performance materials exclusively from European sources, reducing exposure to geopolitical risks and supply chain disruptions.
Under the framework agreement, Uplift360 will act as a strategic materials partner to DOD. The company will support the development of intelligence on advanced material and platform requirements, expand production capacity and develop new technologies and systems to secure the supply of critical materials.
Uplift360 said the initiative is designed to strengthen Europe's industrial resilience at a time when defence production is increasing across the continent. By enabling the rapid integration of advanced materials into aerospace and defence platforms, the company aims to help industry scale production in line with growing operational requirements.
The company added that the agreement builds on its eight-year partnership with DOD and supports both the country's Defence Industrial Strategy and the multinational Defence Critical Raw Materials high-visibility project launched at the NATO Summit Defence Investment Forum. It noted that its proprietary chemical process and expertise in advanced materials could provide a model for strengthening supply chains across other NATO member states as the company expands its activities in Europe.
Sam Staincliffe, Co-Founder and CEO of Uplift360, said: "Demand for advanced materials will only continue to increase across NATO Europe. The Alliance requires continent-wide supply chain resilience, which our framework agreement with Luxembourg DOD advances. Over the next decade, we will scale advanced materials production, ensuring industry keeps pace with operational demand."
Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, said: "Robust supply chains are the bedrock of our necessary defence industrial ramp-up. Our defence readiness depends on it. With this multi-year framework agreement, Luxembourg is fostering innovation, maximising resource efficiency all while contributing to our resilience and environmental protection."
Ari Kristinn Jónsson, President of the NATO Innovation Fund, said: "This framework agreement represents exactly the kind of capabilities we set out to enable when we backed Uplift360. We knew we were funding an important breakthrough technology, as Uplift360 is addressing a real vulnerability in Europe's advanced materials supply chain. We are therefore happy and proud to see that translate into delivering capabilities that strengthen NATO's industrial base. The decisive action of Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence shows what can be achieved when breakthrough technologies and government demand move together."
