European Defence Fund (DG DEFIS)

Funds a coordination project that helps national EDF advisors across the EU train, share know-how and run matchmaking for defence consortia.

Funds design and prototyping work on shared EU standards that let manned and unmanned combat aircraft operate together.

Funds next-generation combat cockpit technology, from wearable displays to AI-assisted decision support for pilots.

Funds distributed, partly automated cyber-defence tools that help EU militaries run and coordinate cyberspace operations.

Funds development of modular propulsion, power and thermal-management technology for next-generation fighter aircraft.

Funds qualification and certification work that matures modular armoured-vehicle technology, including greener variants, toward deployment.

Funds collaborative combat technology that lets land forces share a tactical picture and coordinate engagement across coalitions.

Funds a common digital-ship architecture and naval combat-cloud design that lets EU navies share systems and data across their fleets.

Funds a full-size next-generation soldier system demonstrator, with built-in cascade funding for smaller companies to test their own tech within it.

Funds EU development of the next generation of infrared-detector readout chips so Europe isn't dependent on non-EU sensor supply chains.

Funds a demonstrator for a multiband 4D radar that tracks range, direction and speed together for naval and future ground/air defence.

Funds affordable loitering munitions and small combat drones that can be mass-produced, with cascade funding for smaller tech companies.

Funds a dual-use demonstrator for satellites that can inspect, repair, maintain or deorbit other military satellites in space.

Funds design of an affordable small-satellite constellation that gives more EU states their own space-based surveillance and reconnaissance.

Funds development of unmanned underwater vehicles and networks that let navies team manned and unmanned assets in coordinated swarms.

Pays SMEs a lump-sum grant to develop any innovative defence product or technology of their own choosing, including civil tech adapted for defence.

Pays one team to build and run the shared testing environment that evaluates rival human-AI dialogue systems for defence use.

Funds teams that build a defence-ready human-AI dialogue system and enter it into a shared, independently judged evaluation challenge.

Funds early-stage research into technology for monitoring and defending underwater infrastructure at depths down to 6,000 metres.

Pays for high-risk, high-reward research into any radically new defence technology that breaks with current approaches.

Funds research into automated cyber-defence for military drones and autonomous vehicles that can detect, react to and recover from attacks.

Funds a prototype hybrid propulsion and DC power system that adapts commercial low-carbon marine tech for warships.

Pays SMEs and research organisations a lump-sum grant to research any innovative defence technology of their own choosing.

Funds research into an EU-built tactical data-link terminal so European forces stop depending on non-EU MIDS/Link 16 suppliers.

Funds early design work on a new high-power European turboshaft engine for the next generation of military rotorcraft.

Funds research into detecting and neutralising enemy artillery fast enough to catch mobile 'shoot-and-scoot' batteries.

Funds research into a shared EU chiplet library that lets defence electronics mix and match chip building blocks instead of custom ASICs.

Funds research into unmanned vehicles that can find, assess and evacuate wounded soldiers in mass-casualty and CBRN combat zones.

Funds research into a digital-twin simulation framework that speeds up design, certification and predictive maintenance of aerial systems.

Funds research into interoperable live, virtual and constructive training systems for joint EU multi-domain military exercises.

Funds research into stand-off weapons and sensors that let EU navies engage submarines from beyond torpedo range.

Funds development of federated cloud services that connect EU militaries' data and command systems across land, air, sea and space.

Pays EU defence manufacturers to expand production capacity for propellants, explosives, warheads and other energetic munitions components.

Funds consortium teams progressing major defense concepts through prototype development and joint industrial collaboration.

Backs small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups entering European defence markets through grants and equity.

Funds cross-border European defense consortia in early research development and practical capability exploration.