EUDIS (EU Defence Innovation Scheme)

EUDIS (Disruptive Technologies and SME Calls)

Supports small and medium defense innovators across Europe through development calls, coaching, and early-stage consortium opportunities.

Eligibility · EU member states

EUDIS — the EU Defence Innovation Scheme — is an instrument within the European Defence Fund specifically designed to lower entry barriers for SMEs, startups, and non-traditional defence innovators. Under the 2026 EDF Work Programme, EUDIS receives €231 million, representing 23% of the total €1 billion EDF budget. This envelope is split into approximately €60 million for disruptive technology calls and €60 million for non-thematic SME calls, with the remaining €111 million supporting ecosystem tools such as the Business Accelerator, Business Coaching (up to 15 days of expert guidance per SME beneficiary), Defence Hackathons, Matchmaking Services, and the Defence Equity Facility operating through the European Investment Fund. The 2026 EUDIS focus areas include AI-based tactical situational awareness using swarms of small robots and drones, energy resilience spin-in calls, and underwater warfare R&D.

Disruptive technology calls under EUDIS allow smaller consortia than standard EDF calls: a minimum of two independent entities from two EU Member States or Norway is sufficient, making them accessible to early-stage companies and research institutes unable to form a large multinational consortium. Non-thematic SME calls are open specifically to SMEs and startups with no prescribed topic. Award sizes within EUDIS range from approximately €500,000 to €10 million, and funding rates can reach 100% of eligible costs for research-category disruptive tech projects. Ukrainian entity eligibility has been extended for EUDIS Cascade Funding in 2026. All calls are submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal alongside the rest of the EDF 2026 programme, with the general deadline of 29 September 2026.

For SMEs and startups, EUDIS is the most practical entry point to EDF funding. The Business Accelerator and Coaching instruments provide concrete capacity-building support before and during the R&D project lifecycle. The Cascade Funding mechanism (Financial Support to Third Parties, FSTP) also enables companies that cannot directly access EDF to receive sub-grants through larger EDF consortium projects. Organisations should register on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, obtain a PIC, and engage National Contact Points or the EUDIS portal at eudis.europa.eu for guidance on matching their technology to the right call category.