European Defence Fund (EDF)

European Defence Fund — Work Programme

Funds collaborative defense research across aerospace, cyber, robotics, AI, and space.

Eligibility · EU member states

The European Defence Fund (EDF) is the EU's dedicated instrument for collaborative defence research and capability development, with a total budget of approximately EUR 7.3 billion for 2021–2027 — split between EUR 2.7 billion for collaborative defence research and EUR 5.3 billion for collaborative capability development. The 2026 Annual Work Programme includes 31 call topics spanning the fund's thematic and horizontal categories. Unlike most EU programmes, EDF is managed directly by DG DEFIS (the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space) without an executive agency intermediary. All applications are submitted via the SEDIA Funding and Tenders Portal.

Grants under EDF can cover up to 100% of eligible costs — there is no mandatory co-funding requirement for standard calls. Bonus rates apply for SMEs, mid-cap companies, and projects linked to PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation) initiatives. The standard consortium requirement is a minimum of three entities from three EU Member States or EDF-associated countries (currently including Norway); disruptive-technology calls apply a reduced threshold of two entities from two countries. Critically, all participating entities must be EU-based with their executive management structure in the EU, and control by non-associated third-country entities is not permitted (though guarantee arrangements exist). Non-EU entities may participate in a consortium without receiving EDF funding.

EDF calls are defence-sector-specific and cover areas including soldier systems, naval capabilities, air and missile defence, space situational awareness, cybersecurity tools for defence, AI for military applications, and disruptive technologies. Annual Work Programme PDFs published by DG DEFIS contain the call topics, scoring rubrics, page limits, and deadlines. Applicants new to EDF should engage with their national defence ministry or national EDF contact point before submitting, as consortium formation typically involves government-to-government coordination alongside the company-level application process.