EUROPEAN DEFENCE FUND (EDF) – Non-thematic research actions by SMEs and research organisations – 2026

Objective

To encourage the driving role of innovative SMEs and Research Organisations (RO) in bringing forward innovation defence research, possibly by adapting technologies from civil applications or addressing hybrid warfare.

Among financed actions

• Activities that aim to create, underpin and improve knowledge, products and technologies, including disruptive technologies
• Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, including secured production and exchange of data, to master critical defence technologies, to strengthen the security of supply or to enable the effective exploitation of results for defence products and technologies
• Studies
• Design of a defence product

Eligibility

• Be legal entities (public or private bodies)
• Be established in one of the eligible countries:
  • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories)
  • Non-EU countries: listed EEA countries and countries associated to the EDF Programme (‘EDF associated countries’; list of participating countries)
• Be either small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the meaning of EU Recommendation 2003/36117 OR research organisations
• Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before submitting the proposal
• A consortium composed of minimum 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries must be constituted
• The coordinator must be an SME.

Additional information

• Initial duration of the action: between 12 and 36 months

Projects of longer duration may be accepted in duly justified cases. Extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment.

• Contact: DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu

Useful

• Guidelines: Click here
• Other call documents: Click here
• DG website: Click here
• More information: Click here

• Total budget of the call: 35 million euros
• Amount of the grant: maximum 5 million euros

The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.

• Funding rate: 100% of the total eligible costs

This grant is a lump sum grant.