Complementing and amplifying Member States’ efforts, the European Defence Fund (EDF) promotes cooperation among companies and research actors of all sizes and geographic origin in the Union, in research and development of state-of-the-art and interoperable defence technology and equipment. The Fund supports competitive and collaborative projects throughout the entire cycle of research and development for a bigger impact on the European defence capability and industrial landscape.
It strongly encourages participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in collaborative projects and fosters breakthrough innovative solutions.
The EDF was preceded by two test programmes with limited duration and budget – the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) and the European Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP).
In view of easing coordination between stakeholders, readiness and predictability over the years, an indicative EDF multiannual perspective has been released. It gives an overview of the main expected outcomes per category of actions for the period 2021-2027. This multiannual perspective may be subject to annual updates.
Calls for proposals will be launched on an annual basis following the adoption of the corresponding annual work programme.