Funding calls

A dedicated EUR 20m EDF line for a European small turbofan class currently dominated by non-EU suppliers, aimed squarely at the loyal wingman/UCAV segment. Relevant to aero-engine houses and their subsystem suppliers (turbomachinery, combustors, FADEC, generators, H2 fuel systems) able to join a multi-country consortium. Do: Contact EDF engine consortium leads (aero-propulsion primes and national MoD points of contact) now for a work-package slot on combustion, hydrogen fuel systems or embedded generation, and confirm your rights to reuse prior EU civil-project results before the 29 September 2026 deadline.

A single EUR 29m award means one large consortium will effectively set the EU OTH radar network concept, and prior OTH EDF projects give incumbents (French/Italian radar houses) a head start. Relevant to HF radar, passive radar, signal-processing and radar-data-fusion specialists able to slot into a work package rather than lead. Do: Identify the consortium continuing the earlier EDF OTH radar projects and pitch a specific work package (HF antenna arrays, passive/cognitive signal processing, or multi-sensor fusion) well before the 29 September 2026 submission deadline.

A rare EDF topic where multiple smaller consortia are funded (max €4.6m each) and compete in a common live test campaign, lowering the barrier versus mega-consortium topics. Relevant to swarm autonomy, sensor-fusion and AI-vision scale-ups plus ground-robot and small-drone makers in eligible EU/Norway entities. Do: Form or join a small EDF-eligible consortium and prepare the Part B proposal plus ownership-control declarations for submission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 29 September 2026.

This is the referee, not the competitor, slot: a single EUR 7m grant to set the European benchmark for swarm/AI situational-awareness evaluation, paired with the earlier AISAP-STEP topic. Relevant to test-range operators, simulation/benchmarking houses and autonomy labs with data-annotation and field-trial capability. Do: If you run test ranges, synthetic environments or benchmarking/data-annotation for autonomy, join or form a cross-border consortium and submit via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before 29 September 2026.

Cyberagentur PCP calls fund early-stage R&D at up to 100% and are open to bidders from EU, Switzerland, NATO and NATO AP4 partners, which is unusually broad for a German defence-adjacent buyer. Relevant to autonomy-stack, swarm-control and resilient-navigation teams able to run GNSS-denied multi-robot experiments. Do: Register on www.evergabe-online.de and submit a participation request plus project sketch for IRIS by 06.10.2026 11:00, showing prior work on GNSS-denied swarm autonomy and human-swarm control.

This is operational-overhead funding for the new SEAP legal vehicles rather than technology R&D, and it is only usable by entities that have already been established as SEAPs. Relevant mainly to consortium managers and consultancies advising multi-state armament programmes on setting up readiness pools. Do: If you are involved in an established or forming SEAP, watch for the call document to publish on the Funding & Tenders Portal and prepare the operating-plan and financial-capacity annexes before 13 October 2026.

This is money for physical munitions production capacity inside and with Ukraine, not R&D, with a relatively small consortium cap (15) that favours tight industrial teams over mega-consortia. Relevant to energetics/filling, missile subcomponent, seeker and loitering-munition makers, plus C-UAS and OT-cybersecurity firms who can slot into the site-protection work package. Do: If you make energetics, filling equipment, seekers/effectors or C-UAS/OT security, line up a Ukrainian production partner now and secure a work package in a consortium (or lead a EUR 2–30m action) before the 13 October 2026 SEDIA deadline.

EDIP common procurement money flows through state-appointed procurement agents, not to industry directly, so loitering-munition, artillery and missile-component makers only benefit by being the named supplier in a multi-country buy. Relevant to munitions producers and FPV/one-way attack drone scale-ups with EU production capacity. Do: Get your product into a Member State's planned joint buy now: brief national armament directorates and agents (EDA/OCCAR/NSPA) on your ammunition or strike-drone line and push for inclusion, including upgrade clauses, before the 13 October 2026 submission.

This is EU money that flows through a Member State procurement agent, not to companies directly — so C-UAS sensor, effector, DE weapon and C2 vendors get in only by being the product selected in a multi-country buy. Relevant to C-UAS and VSHORAD/SHORAD suppliers with proven, EU-eligible products and existing national customer relationships. Do: Lobby your national MoD armaments directorate (or EDA/OCCAR/NSPA desk) now to have your C-UAS system included in a multi-country buy submitted before the 13 October 2026 deadline.

Fastest EU route to grant money for munitions/loitering-munition production capacity if you can bring a Ukrainian partner — and Ukrainian firms gained EDF/EDIP access in July 2026, so the partner pool just widened.

Not a company grant, but a demand signal: whichever C-UAS and ammunition suppliers the joint-procurement consortia pick will get EU-subsidised orders — get onto the national contracting authorities' shortlists now.

This is the first Swiss defence-linked innovation money open to industry at scale since the 2025 armament-policy strategy — and it is capped to Swiss-based value creation, so foreign firms only get in through a Swiss subsidiary or partner. PNT, photonics and C-UAS SMEs in Switzerland (and EU firms with Swiss operations) should treat 27 Oct as the real deadline. Do: Assemble ≥3 Swiss research partners (one must be a Fachhochschule) plus ≥2 Swiss implementation partners, use the b2match partner platform, and file the pre-proposal on Innolink before 27 Oct 2026 12:00 CET; read the 30 Jun 2026 Guide for applicants and the 1 Sep FAQ first.

First Horizon Europe money explicitly for defence scale-ups and it is equity, not a grant — the obvious complement to a Series A/B for drone, autonomy, space and AI companies that were previously excluded from EIC.

This is EDIP money for factory capacity, not R&D — it pays to industrialise component lines (drone flight stacks, ESCs, RF front-ends, thermal modules, secure PCBs) that European drone and munitions ramp-ups currently import. Directly relevant to EU electronics manufacturers, PCB/substrate houses, battery and power-electronics firms and RF/EO module makers, including non-defence industrials with qualified production able to reserve capacity. Do: Download the call document from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, check the eligible-countries and ownership/control conditions, and line up a consortium plus baselined capacity KPIs (units/month, time-to-rate, lead-time reduction) well before the 16 February 2027 deadline.

EDIP's flagship capacity topic is now open with an unusually broad product list, and it explicitly funds MaaS and dual-use industrial conversion plus site counter-UxS/cyber hardening — a rare entry point for non-traditional manufacturers. Relevant to forging/machining and composites SMEs, sub-system makers for radars, munitions and naval platforms, and C-UAS/OT-cyber vendors who can be bought in as a site-protection work package. Do: Read the EDIP call document eligibility and ownership-control rules, then pitch a specific capacity or site-protection work package to a platform prime or national industrial cluster leading a bid, well before the 16 February 2027 deadline.

This is a state-driven EDIP common-procurement instrument, not an R&D grant: money flows through a procurement agent appointed by participating states, with a EUR 80m minimum ticket for GBAD/BMD systems. Radar, seeker, interceptor, effector and C2 suppliers must position with national MoDs and the likely prime/agent rather than applying themselves. Do: Identify which Member States are grouping for AMD procurement and get your radar/effector/C2 product qualified with their national procurement authority or the appointed agent (EDA, OCCAR, NSPA) well before the 16 February 2027 deadline.

Applicants are Member States' procurement agents, not industry — money reaches C5ISR, satcom, ISR and space firms as suppliers under the resulting joint contracts or framework. Relevant for C5ISR/space payload and ground-segment suppliers who can get their product designated in a multinational buy. Do: Lobby your national armaments directorate (or EDA/OCCAR/NSPA desk officers) now to have your C5ISR/space product included in a ≥EUR 20m joint procurement package before the 16 February 2027 submission.

This is production-capacity money, not R&D: it pays to stand up joint EU–Ukraine lines, MaaS small-batch capacity and heavy-industry conversion for attritable drones and C-UAS, with KPIs on units/month and lead time. Relevant to FPV/interceptor drone makers, fibre-optic and RF-denied control specialists, C-UAS sensor/jammer suppliers and contract manufacturers with or seeking a Ukrainian industrial partner. Do: Line up a Ukrainian manufacturing partner and a consortium of ≤15 entities now, and build a proposal with baselined production KPIs (units/month, time-to-rate, lead-time cut) plus the optional EUR 200k protection WP, for submission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before 16 February 2027.

EDIP common-procurement money flows via Member State procurement agents, not to industry directly, so vendors reach it only as the supplier chosen in the joint buy. Relevant for ground-vehicle, artillery, soldier-system and naval subsystem makers with a product Member States could aggregate demand for above the EUR 80m threshold. Do: Identify which national procurement authorities (or EDA/OCCAR/NSPA) are assembling a ground or naval common-procurement group around your product and get specified into their requirement well before the 16 February 2027 application deadline.

Six months of runway makes this the EDIP call to actually plan for — relevant to electronics/semiconductor SMEs and industrial newcomers pivoting from automotive/telecom into defence supply chains.

The 'factory' money for platform makers and their tier-1 suppliers — pairs naturally with SAFE-financed national orders that need delivery capacity.

Small tickets (≤€10m) and a Ukraine-cooperation requirement make this the most start-up-friendly EDIP call — drone and C-UAS companies with Ukrainian manufacturing partners should start now.