Brussels, 30 March 2023
Today, the Commission adopted the third annual Work Programme under the European Defence Fund (EDF), allocating €1.2 billion to defence collaborative research and development projects for 2023.
With this 2023 Work Programme, the Commission unlocks new funding for defence projects to jointly develop strategic defence capabilities and technologies. It addresses 34 topics structured along four thematic calls for proposals, as well as three calls focused on disruptive technologies and SMEs. With the adoption of this work programme, the Commission will have invested more than €3 billion since the entry into application of the EDF Regulation in May 2021.
The new Work Programme also introduces a series of new measures to promote defence innovation under the umbrella of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS). With EUDIS, the Commission will support innovative entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs, to help them break through traditional entry barriers, bring ideas to the market and make a difference for EU security and defence.
The European Defence Fund is the Commission’s instrument to support defence R&D and cooperation. Without substituting Member States’ efforts, it promotes cooperation between companies of all sizes and research actors throughout the EU and Norway. More information is available in the press release and on a dedicated website.
Source – EU Commission