Helps open pathways to new markets
“Trade missions focused on strategic export markets are a really important platform for Lithuanian companies to establish business contacts, discover new opportunities for cooperation and export, and present their solutions to potential clients or investors. This is perfectly illustrated by the success of the Lithuanian company IT Logika, which is developing a drone station solution DBOX, at the Lithuanian-UAE Business Forum. Having found partners in the UAE, the company is preparing for export expansion,” says Simona Buziliauskienė, Head of Global Markets Unit of the Innovation Agency Lithuania.
According to Ms Buziliauskienė, the Innovation Agency Lithuania organises up to 10 trade missions per year in strategic foreign markets and receives return business visits from other countries to Lithuania. This year, a total of 178 Lithuanian companies participated in 6 inbound trade missions, while over 160 Lithuanian business representatives attended events in the USA, France, Germany and Poland. Such visits are usually accompanied by high-level meetings between officials from both countries and subsequent political agreements that help companies in foreign markets establish business contacts more quickly.
UAE companies attracted by exclusive drone solutions
21 companies from the United Arab Emirates took part in the Lithuanian-UAE Business Forum held in Vilnius in August. One of them, Duverse, was particularly interested in the autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) stations being developed in Lithuania, which can be useful for developing smart cities, securing territories, and monitoring various industrial facilities or agricultural areas. Shortly after the meeting in August, the UAE company and Lithuanian drone solutions company IT Logika signed an agreement on distribution in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“We have already received interest in our drone stations from the UAE and Saudi Arabia several years ago, thus we have consistently and purposefully focused on these markets, and we have participated in the trainings organised by the Innovation Agency Lithuania for those wishing to expand their business into the UAE. Therefore, the trade mission was awaited and very relevant. Since drone solutions, automation, digitisation and smart cities are really hot topics at the moment, more than one company wanted to talk to us, especially since we were the only ones to present autonomous drone stations at the event,” says Jurgita Gelažanskienė, Head of Product Development at IT Logika.
Ms Gelažanskienė points out that trade missions are not just about meeting representatives of the visiting companies. It is also a good opportunity to listen to topical presentations given by heads of delegation and ministers. This allows companies to better understand the specifics of the region, its needs and the possibilities of financing for development. In addition, according to the representative of IT Logika, it is always interesting to meet colleagues from Lithuania who have plans or experience in business development in the same region.
An opportunity to present themselves at a prestigious exhibition
Ms Gelažanskienė says that the company has not only signed a distribution agreement with its UAE partners but has also received an invitation to participate in Gitex Global Dubai, an important international high-tech event. There, the company had the opportunity to get to know both the new partner and the UAE and regional market better, and to present its technology live at the partner’s stand to potential customers such as the Dubai City Municipality and the police, who expressed interest.
“Of course, this is just the beginning. There is still a lot of work to be done – tendering, presentations, pilot projects. We are trying to understand the cultural differences and the specificities of doing business in the UAE. We are also looking into flight regulations, cooperating with the authorities that issue drone flight permits, and consulting with Dubai City Municipality. Trade missions and international events provide new opportunities, but to take advantage of them you need to put in the effort and, of course, be able to offer value-added solutions to your clients,” notes Ms Gelažanskienė.
Developing technology with a wide range of applications
IT Logika is looking beyond the UAE and Saudi Arabia markets for cooperation opportunities. It has been currently negotiating with potential partners in Finland, Switzerland, Malaysia and Canada. According to Ms Gelažanskienė, there is no shortage of interest in the solutions developed by the company in international markets, as drone technology is developing rapidly and is in high demand.
The autonomous drone stations DBOX developed by the Lithuanian company combine autonomy, machine learning and the Internet of Things. The technology can be used for a wide range of applications such as securing borders and large and remote industrial sites, monitoring vegetation on farms, ensuring perimeter security and theft prevention, control and monitoring traffic flows, smart parking, traffic light optimisation, and many others. The Lithuanian-built autonomous drone station allows control of drones from anywhere in the world. Once the flight is complete, the UAV returns to a box-like “garage” where a robotic arm inside replaces the dead battery in less than a minute.
The Innovation Agency Lithuania plans to further develop cooperation with the UAE market. In 2025, it plans to organise a national stand at the international exhibition GITEX Global 2025. You can hear more about the UAE market opportunities for the IT sector in this video by the Export Club.
