The European Commission has adopted the fifth annual Work Programme under the European Defence Fund (EDF), allocating over €1 billion to defence collaborative research and development projects. This significant investment aims to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities, promote technological innovation, and enhance industrial competitiveness across the EU. 

The EDF is the European Commission’s main tool for supporting joint defence R&D, helping Member States by encouraging cooperation among companies and research institutions across the EU and Norway. It ensures Europe's defence industry stays at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. It is structured around two main pillars, with a total budget of €7.3 billion for 2021-2027:

• Funding collaborative defence research to address emerging security threats.
• Co-funding capability development projects to enhance European defence readiness.

Since the EDF came into effect in May 2021, the Commission has committed €5.4 billion to defence R&D, positioning itself as a major investor in European defence innovation. The EDF plays a crucial role in strengthening the EU’s security framework, reducing investment fragmentation, fostering industrial cooperation, and enhancing interoperability among Member States. The 2025 Work Programme aligns with EU capability priorities and the Strategic Compass, an action plan to bolster EU security and defence policy by 2030.

The 2025 Work Programme allocates around €100 million each in critical fields such as ground combat, space, air and naval combat, as well as energy resilience and environmental transition. The programme also introduces measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps through the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS)

The programme launches nine competitive calls for proposals across 31 topics, including 15 research topics to explore new defence technologies, 15 development topics to bring advanced capabilities to market and 1 topic to support the EDF National Focal Points network, a network of individuals from Member States that support the implementation of the EDF.

Additionally, 14 topics will contribute to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, which is focused on enhancing digital technologies, deep-tech innovation, clean and resource-efficient technologies, and biotechnologies. 

More than €40 million is dedicated to R&D in critical areas such as cyber defence, naval combat, underwater warfare, simulation and training, and advanced sensor technologies. The programme also focuses on emerging technologies such as multifunctional information distribution systems, human-AI dialogue, and chiplets for defence applications. It aims to provide grants and services to start-ups, SMEs, research organizations, and accelerators, helping them navigate market entry barriers and bring pioneering ideas to the defence sector. 

Calls for proposals will open in mid-February 2025, with a submission deadline of 16 October 2025.

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