ASTRID
Funds France innovation teams building dual-use innovation for industry security from proof to commercialization.
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
ASTRID 2026 is the 16th edition of the Specific Support for Defence Research Projects and Innovation call, operated by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and financed by the French Defence Innovation Agency (AID). The program supports highly exploratory, innovative research projects of low to mid technology maturity that are useful to both the defence and civilian sectors — the dual-use requirement is a defining feature. Fifteen thematic axes are covered, including information engineering, robotics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, photonics, materials, energetic materials, energy, nanotechnology and sensors, acoustic and radioelectric waves, marine engineering and geoscience, biology and CBRN defence, and human-systems interactions.
Funding per project is capped at EUR 400,000, and project duration runs between 18 and 36 months. Eligibility is open to academic institutions, research organisations, and companies of any size established in France; individuals may not apply. Technology readiness is constrained to TRL 1–4. All grant agreements include intellectual property clauses that subject the sale or exclusive licensing of project-derived IP to prior authorisation from the DGA, preserving dual-use applicability. All call documents — text, submission guide, FAQ, and proposal template — are published in French only. The 2026 submission deadline was 2 March 2026 at 15:00 CET.
Successful projects that reach higher maturity can follow on through the ASTRID Maturation programme or AID's RAPID instrument. Applicants strengthen their position by demonstrating genuine dual-use relevance across both defence and civil sectors and by situating their work within one or more of the fifteen published thematic axes. The ANR contacts for ASTRID 2026 are Florence Lasek and Etienne Sabarthes at agencerecherche.fr; submissions were made via the ANR online portal at aap.agencerecherche.fr.
Information engineering, Robotics, Cybersecurity, Fluids and structures, Acoustic and radioelectric waves, Nanotechnology, sensors and components, Photonics, Materials, Energetic materials, Energy, Biology, health, CBRN defence, Human-systems interactions, Humanities linked to innovation management, Marine engineering and geoscience, Artificial intelligence.
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