With the new funding round, the Commission’s flagship defence R&D instrument will address 31 collaborative topics in critical and urgent areas aligned with commonly agreed capability development priorities. The programme balances support for traditional defence capabilities, future capability areas and defence innovation, while ensuring the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps.
Half of the budget is earmarked for collaborative research and development on major defence capabilities that remain at the core of agreed priorities. These include work on an EU endo-atmospheric interceptor, a main battle tank, a multiple rocket launcher, a semi-autonomous vessel, key technologies for next-generation air fighters and the integration of Galileo Public Regulated Service receivers.
One quarter of the budget will focus on future-oriented defence technologies and capabilities in forward-looking areas. These include quantum-secured networks, electronic warfare, multi-domain operations cloud, high-performance energy systems, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear decontamination, and the use of artificial intelligence and swarms of small robots and drones for tactical awareness.
The remaining quarter of the budget is dedicated to implementing the EU Defence Innovation Scheme, underlining the Commission’s commitment to strengthening European innovation capacity. EUDIS aims to increase the participation of SMEs and mid-caps and to support innovation, disruptive technologies and resilient supply chains in the defence sector.
Under EUDIS, almost €60 million will be allocated to disruptive technologies such as over-the-horizon detection, while over €60 million will support non-thematic calls for SME proposals. The programme also includes a technological challenge on AI-based tactical situational awareness, two spin-in topics to adapt civilian technologies for defence use, financial support to third parties and two Defence Hackathons planned for March 2026 and spring 2026.
The EUDIS Business Accelerator will expand its support for startups and scaleups through two eight-month accelerator cohorts of 20 companies each. Participants will receive tailored coaching, attend five European bootcamps, access testing facilities, obtain a €120,000 performance-based seed-funding voucher and compete for additional rewards, with calls now open for the Spring cohort.
The EUDIS Matchmaking programme will also be expanded, delivering more than ten onsite and online events to connect technology founders with investors and industry leaders. In addition, more than €20 million will support SMEs and mid-caps through measures such as equity financing via the Defence Equity Facility and business coaching for EDF project participants.
“Europe must strengthen collaboration in defence, with the European Defence Fund acting as a key foundation for this effort,” said Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space. “With €1 billion in the 2026 European Defence Fund, we are putting collaboration at the centre of Europe’s defence innovation.”
