OSRA and RTI Work Strands Officer

The Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate promotes and supports defence research and innovation at EU level. Based on the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA), developed with Member States, the Directorate coordinates joint research activities and the study of technical solutions to meet future operational needs. OSRA is a framework of methodologies, processes and tools to define and align collaborative Research, Technology and Innovation with Member States’ long-, mid- and short-term operational needs, and to link research, technology and innovation priorities with wider EDA and EU defence processes.  

Within RTI, OSRA and its future evolution towards a broader Overarching Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda framework require coordinated contributions from several RTI actors. The Technology Innovation Unit (TIU) owns technology content, technology priorities, TBBs (technology building block), SRIAs (strategic research and innovation agenda), CapTech outputs and portfolio substance, hence the technology strategy as such.

The EU-funded defence research function provides the link with EDF (European defence fund) content and implementation. HEDI owns EDA's portfolio of innovation activities and provides the link with relevant EU defence innovation activities. All RTI managers and relevant staff are expected to interact with external stakeholders in the EU defence ecosystem in their respective areas of responsibility.

The OSRA and RTI Work Strands Officer is responsible for the process, coherence, and governance of the OSRA framework, integrating the various RTI contributions, so that OSRA remains consistent, relevant at EU-level and aligned with wider EDA processes.

The role acts as process owner and coordination focal point, working closely with the Technology & Innovation Unit, who retains ownership of technology priorities, technology content and strategy, CapTech outputs, SRIAs, TBBs and portfolio planning.