This call encourages the driving role of SMEs in bringing forward innovation, agility and ability to progress technologies, possibly adapting them from civil to defence applications, in view of turning research results into products.

The proposals must address innovative defence technologies and solutions, including those that can improve readiness, deployability and sustainability of EU forces in all spectrum of tasks and missions, for example in terms of operations, equipment, basing, energy solutions, new surveillance systems.
The proposals could address any subject of interest for defence.

Targeted activities

The proposals must cover one or more activities eligible for a research action, as referred in article 10.3 of the EDF Regulation:

- Activities that aim to create, underpin and improve knowledge, products and technologies, including disruptive technologies for defence, which can achieve significant effects in the area of defence;

- Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, including secured production and exchange of data, to master critical defence technologies, to strengthen the security of supply or to enable the effective exploitation of results for defence products and technologies;

- Studies, such as feasibility studies to explore the feasibility of new or upgraded products, technologies, processes, services and solutions;

- The design of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology as well as the definition of the technical specifications on which such a design has been developed, including any partial tests for risk reduction in an industrial or representative environment.

However, the proposals cannot cover studies only.

Functional requirements

This call is open to any technological research for defence. Proposals should describe the targeted functionalities and the foreseen means to measure progress toward the achievements of these functionalities.

Expected Impact:

- Innovative and cost-effective solutions for defence applications;

- Ground-breaking or novel concepts and approaches, new promising future technological improvements or the application of technologies or concepts previously not applied in the defence sector;

- Enhanced innovation capacity across Europe by involvement of SMEs that can make a difference in the future;

- Potential for future market creation for SMEs, especially by facilitating access of SMEs to defence markets and supply chains;

• Contribution to the development of European research and technology ecosystems and to the strengthening of European defence supply chains.

Deadline: 09 December 2021 
Global Budget: 17.5 M€
Official page of the Call