France’s Naval Group and the Portuguese research unit LASIGE, from the Faculty of Sciences of Lisbon University, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore future collaboration in the field of naval research and development (R&D), Naval Group announced on 7 November 2025.
The MoU was signed on board the French frigate Amiral Ronarc’h during its port call in Lisbon on 5 November 2025, in the presence of Alysson Bessani, Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and director of the LASIGE research unit, and Guillaume Weisrock, Naval Group’s senior vice president for sales and business development in Europe and North America.
Amiral Ronarc’h is the first Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI – defence and intervention frigate) and was delivered by Naval Group to the French Navy in Brest on 17 October 2025.
The MoU with LASIGE is part of Naval Group’s broader ambitions that could benefit the Portuguese defence-industrial base and academic centres should the Portuguese Navy choose the FDI to renew its frigate fleet. With this in mind, Naval Group is committed to strengthening its presence in Portugal, establishing industrial and research partnerships that will create value for the Portuguese defence and maritime sectors.
The strategic partnership between Naval Group and LASIGE aims to leverage the complementary expertise of both organisations to support innovation in the maritime and defence sectors, and sets a formal framework for co-operation on topics of mutual interest related to the digital transformation of naval systems: intelligent systems for naval applications, computer vision for naval applications, simulation frameworks for naval digital systems, smart energy systems applicable to the naval environment, human-machine interfaces and human factors related to the digitisation of naval systems, digital systems related to unmanned platforms, and the cyber security of naval systems and sensors.
Naval Group thus aims to foster joint innovation in support of future naval capabilities with the academic and research community in Portugal.
“The agreement reflects our shared ambition to drive innovation through co-operation,” said Weisrock. “LASIGE’s expertise and close connection with the Portuguese Navy make them a natural partner for research and development as we deepen our engagement in Portugal.”
“LASIGE’s commitment to rigorous research with high scientific and societal impact requires collaboration with key players in industry and government,” added Bessani. “We see Naval Group as a strategic partner for future R&D projects in defence technologies, which has become increasingly critical for Europe’s security and technological sovereignty.”
LASIGE has recognised expertise in the fields of computer science and engineering and, as a trusted stakeholder of the Portuguese Navy, “is a valuable partner well positioned to contribute to cutting-edge research and development efforts in collaboration with Naval Group”, the French shipyard stated.
“There are real complementarities between Naval Group and the Portuguese defence industry and research centres that could lead to joint achievements strengthening innovative defence capabilities in the European Union,” Naval Group stated.
The French shipyard has collaborated with Portuguese industry for several years; since 2019 Naval Group has been working with 16 Portuguese companies on 15 European projects, promoting the integration of the national industry into high-value international initiatives. More recently, on 22 October, Naval Group and AED Cluster Portugal hosted an Industry Day in Lisbon to strengthen industrial and technological co-operation in defence, meeting with more than 45 companies, industrials and academic institutes to participate in the supply chain associated with the FDI frigate programme, as well as other areas such as advanced engineering, naval digitalisation and systems integration.
