Gothia Defence Student Day
About the day
Where students meet total defence
Total defence is one of the fastest-growing fields in Sweden right now — and one that is hiring. Yet western Sweden has lacked an obvious place where students and the organisations building the country’s defence capability actually meet. Gothia Defence Student Day is that place.
A day at Chalmers on total defence in full — military and civil, with an emphasis on infrastructure, energy, skills supply and societal resilience. The tone is academic and professional, not militaristic.
The format is deliberately pared back: no long stage sessions, but exhibitor stands, one sharp keynote and roundtable discussions where the conversations actually happen.
Programme in brief
Seven points in the day
The programme is provisional and updated as it develops. Speakers are announced in due course.
If you are a student
Meet tomorrow’s employers
Here you meet the employers in a sector that is genuinely hiring — before the rest of your cohort has grasped how large it has become. The day is open to students at Chalmers, the University of Gothenburg and other institutions.
Attendance is free, coffee and lunch are included, and registration is required for security reasons.
If you are recruiting
Meet tomorrow’s talent
The defence and security companies of western Sweden compete for the same engineers. Here you reach the students face to face, a year before they graduate — while networking with the rest of the region’s defence cluster.
We offer three levels of participation: headline partner, partner and exhibitor. Registering interest commits you to nothing — we will come back with the format, the content and a proposal for a first conversation.
Organisers
Organiser
Gothia Defence Forum
Works to strengthen knowledge of and engagement in total defence in western Sweden, and to connect academia, business and society.
Organiser
CHAM – Chalmers Akademiska Militärsällskap
The student society at Chalmers uniting technical expertise with a commitment to Sweden’s security. Open to students at Gothenburg’s universities with an interest in total defence, security policy and future military technology.
Pilot year 2026
The ambition is for Student Day to grow into a recurring, nationally recognised event — with a fuller stage programme, international guests and a prize for the best thesis on total defence.
Organisations joining in the pilot year get first refusal for year two.
Registration opens shortly.
Attendance is free. Registration is required for security reasons — the link will be published here.