RAPID — Dual Innovation Support Scheme (Régime d'APpui à l'Innovation Duale)

RAPID

Funds dual use technology exploration for French small businesses and mid size firms in defense and advanced engineering.

RAPID (Régime d'Appui pour l'Innovation Duale) is a continuous-submission innovation subsidy programme administered by the Agence de l'innovation de défense that provides financial support for dual-use technology development by French small and medium enterprises and mid-cap companies. Unlike annual grant calls, RAPID operates as a guichet au fil de l'eau — a rolling intake with no fixed annual deadline — allowing eligible companies to apply at any point in the year.

Eligible applicants are French PMEs and ETIs (petites et moyennes entreprises and entreprises de taille intermédiaire) with a consolidated workforce of fewer than 2,000 employees. Research organisations may participate as consortium partners. The programme targets innovations at TRL 3-5 (industrial research phase) or TRL 6-7 (experimental development phase) with demonstrable dual-use potential: civilian and military applicability both required. Single-applicant and consortium applications are both accepted. First-time applicants must complete a registration step in the AID database and undergo a pre-project telephone interview before submitting a full application file. Subsidy rates are determined on a case-by-case basis and are not published as fixed percentages; award ceilings are not publicly specified in the open-access documentation.

RAPID is the primary AID instrument for companies already at working-prototype or early-validation stage rather than pure research. The rolling window is operationally advantageous for SMEs that cannot schedule their R&D around fixed annual calls. To maximise competitiveness, applicants should prepare a clear dual-use justification, document TRL status with supporting evidence, and contact AID early in the process to complete the pre-project screening. Full application materials are submitted to the AID project contact inbox at the defence intranet address published in the programme guidelines.