EU Council gives final green light for €115m AGILE defence innovation programme

Luxembourg, 12 October 2026

The Council today formally adopted the regulation establishing the programme for agile and rapid defence innovation (AGILE). This is a new €115 million instrument providing rapid, agile and targeted financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – including start-ups and scale-ups – developing emerging and disruptive defence products. The adoption follows the provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament on 15 July 2026, and the Parliament’s vote in plenary on 6 October.

Designed as a nimble complement to the EU’s existing toolbox of defence industrial instruments, AGILE will help SMEs move from prototype to operational capability. It will focus in particular on the development and testing of innovative defence products and technologies, including the adaptation of civil technologies for defence applications, in order to bridge the gap between development and deployment.

Ukraine has shown us that innovation and cutting-edge technology can be decisive for defence preparedness and resilience. AGILE gives SMEs an additional key instrument to do what they do best, innovate, only faster and at greater scale, turning technological excellence into operational capability.

^{Helen McEntee, Minister of Defence of Ireland}

Main elements of the agreement

focus on SMEs and disruptive innovation: support for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups working on emerging and disruptive defence products
fast-track grants: a time-to-grant of only four months, with relevant products and technologies expected to reach defence forces within one to three years
mission-driven challenges: member states are involved in setting the challenges, so that the products developed meet their capability needs
access to testing: fast-track access to testing and experimentation facilities, addressing a key barrier for SMEs in bringing products to market
connection with defence industrial primes: dedicated matchmaking between SMEs and major defence companies, to increase uptake of AGILE-supported products
simplified procurement of products supported by AGILE

Next steps

The regulation will be signed by the presidents of the European Parliament and of the Council and published in the Official Journal of the European Union. It will enter into force 20 days after its publication. A call for proposals is expected to take place at the beginning of 2027.

Source – Visit the meeting page

EU Commission welcomes adoption of €115 million ‘AGILE’ programme for rapid defence innovation

Brussels, 12 October 2026

The European Commission welcomes the adoption of the Regulation establishing Programme for agile and rapid defence innovation (AGILE) which will bring disruptive defence technology from the lab to the field at record speed. The new €115 million funding tool will provide dedicated support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups and scale ups to develop innovative defence solutions and support their uptake.

The programme will operate with an unprecedented time-to-grant of just four months and for technologies to reach defence forces between 1-3 years. It will support between 20 and 30 projects, providing up to 100% funding for all eligible costs. To facilitate quick innovation, the funding will also allow companies to retroactively claim expenses claimed up to three months prior to the closing of the call for applications.

The work programme will cover two main types of activities: mission-driven development of disruptive defence products and technologies and market delivery by helping defence solutions reach the actual markets.

AGILE has been adopted in record time, in less than seven months after the Commission tabled its proposal in March 2026. The swift adoption reflects EU’s commitment to strengthen Europe’s capacity to innovate.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has demonstrated that success on the battlefield relies on new technologies, from drones and autonomous systems to artificial. Europe’s ability to develop, test, and deploy new technologies and cost-efficient solutions in weeks or months rather than years is now being tested.

AGILE responds to this need by giving innovative smaller players the support and speed they need to bring promising defence solutions to the armed forces. In practice, the programme will support startups and tech innovators with faster, more flexible funding and allow innovations to be deployed as quickly as possible.

Next steps

The AGILE programme is expected to become fully operational as of early 2027. The Commission is currently preparing the programme’s implementation, which will be monitored and assessed by the Council and the European Parliament.

Background

AGILE complements existing EU instruments supporting defence innovation and industrial development, including the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP) and the European Innovation Council (EIC). Together, these instruments provide support across different stages of the defence innovation cycle, from research and development to the scaling and uptake of innovative solutions. With entities from Ukraine and EFTA-EEA countries also eligible to participate, AGILE will help bring together a wider range of expertise and experience in defence innovation.

For more information

Quote(s)

AGILE shows that Europe is eager to lead in defence innovation. I thank the Council and the European Parliament for a swift adoption, which maintains the pace set by the Commission. Helping our SMEs and innovators bring technologies to market more quickly helps not only to bolster Europe’s technological sovereignty but importantly, it keeps Europeans safe. Innovation is key. And we trust that European companies and start-ups can be at the forefront of defence development.

^{Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy}

Innovation is at the core of EU defence readiness. Ukraine shows us every day that modern warfare is won by those who innovate fast. We need to bring new players into defence industry and help them turning disruptive ideas into cost-effective solutions that can reach the battlefield quickly. AGILE is designed precisely for this. It makes our defence base stronger and better prepared to address the threats of tomorrow.

^{Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space}

Source – EU Commission