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European Defence Fund (EDF)

European Defence Fund — Work Programme

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

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About

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 t…

What this grant funds

Collaborative defence research and capability development across 31 thematic/horizontal categories in the 2026 work programme.

Key facts
CycleiHow often this grant runs — e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.Annual
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.—
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.—
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.—
Award typeiThe form of funding — grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.0%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.—
Funding analytics

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Industries

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Eligibility criteria

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Timeline

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Last verified: 29 Jul 2026Source: defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu