Military multi-domain operations cloud services

European Defence Fund call EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC invites consortia to design, prototype, test and qualify a Multi-Domain Operations Cloud (MDOC) demonstrator (TRL≥5) delivering interoperable, secure cloud services across land, air, maritime, cyber and space domains. The topic has an indicative budget of €40,000,000, expects at least one award, and requires a minimum consortium of three independent beneficiaries from three eligible countries. Mandatory activities include studies, design, system prototyping, testing and qualification, and proposals must provide Member State harmonised capability declarations and procurement intent/common technical specifications where applicable. Submission is single-stage via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 28 April 2026 (17:00 CET) with detailed Part B and multiple mandatory annexes; security requirements and facility clearances may apply.

Opportunity Overview

Military multi-domain operations cloud services (EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC-STEP)

What it funds

Design, prototyping, testing and qualification of a federated multi-national multi-domain operations cloud (MDOC). Activities should deliver an operational prototype (TRL≥5 demonstrator) that federates community-of-interest services across land, air, maritime, cyber and space domains and demonstrates situational awareness and C2 capabilities under degraded and contested conditions.

Indicative budget:€40,000,000 for this topic under the EDF-2026-DA call ¹

1. 1Targeted activities: studies, design, system prototyping, testing and qualification (plus upstream/downstream activities eligible for development actions).
2. 2Expected outputs: federated service mesh, data labelling/DCS support, zero trust/ABAC/ICAM concepts, CI/CD and governance prototypes, integration with legacy C3 and FMN standards.
3. 3Demonstrations must cover multi-domain assets (air, ground, maritime, cyber, space) and address tactical-edge resilience and degraded networks.

Who can apply

Consortia of legal entities established in EDF-eligible countries (EU Member States and EDF-associated countries). Minimum consortium: three independent beneficiaries from three different eligible countries. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must have executive management in eligible countries; subcontractors and associated partners follow specific EDF rules. Participation restrictions apply for entities controlled by non-associated third countries unless approved guarantees are provided.

Eligibility highlights:Multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory; design/prototyping projects require Member State support and, where applicable, harmonised capability declarations, procurement intent or common technical specifications. Security rules apply for classified information and Facility/Personnel Security Clearances may be required ¹.

Practical details

1. 1Call type: EDF development actions implemented via actual cost grants (expedited single-stage call).
2. 2Opening date: 11 February 2026; deadline: 28 April 2026 17:00 Brussels time.
3. 3Indicative number of awards: 1 proposal targeted but more may be funded depending on quality and budget.
4. 4Funding model: budget-based mixed actual cost grant; funding rates depend on activity type and applicable bonuses (SME, mid-cap, PESCO).
5. 5Key submission requirements: Part A online, Part B + mandatory annexes in password-protected ZIP; Annexes include detailed budget table, participant information, ownership and co-financing declarations, security-related templates where applicable.

Apply through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page; proposers must follow the EDF call document and annexes for admissibility, eligibility, evaluation and grant preparation rules EU Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, templates and security instructions are on the topic page of the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: EDF-2026-DA Call topic.

Military multi-domain operations cloud services — EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC-STEP

Programme: European Defence Fund (EDF) — Development actions implemented via actual cost grants (expedited call) | Topic ID on portal: EDF-2026-DA | Topic ID in call document: EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC | Type of action: EDF-DA (Development Actions). Opening: 11 February 2026 | Deadline: 28 April 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Single-stage submission and evaluation. Indicative topic budget: €40,000,000. Expected number of grants: 1 (potentially more subject to quality and budget availability).¹

Official sources:Topic page and submission: EU Funding & Tenders Portal — EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC-STEP. Call document (expedited DA): EDF-2026-DA-EXP Call document (PDF). Model Grant Agreement and templates: EDF MGA and templates.

Opportunity scope and technical focus

The topic targets the design, prototyping, testing and qualification of a first European combat cloud prototype for multi-domain operations (land, air, maritime, cyber and space). It will federate existing and future multi-level community-of-interest (COI) and COI-enabling services into a multinational service mesh to enable multi-level situational awareness and C2, improving the battle rhythm in collaborative warfare. It contributes to STEP objectives in deep and digital technologies.

Representative operational context:Demonstration, validation and verification must consider high-intensity conflict with serious degradation of IT services, including destruction of civilian infrastructure and contested electromagnetic environment. MDOC should enable data exchange among sensors and effectors across the kill chain, with simulation/emulation and digital twins as needed.

Mandatory deliverables and activities:Applicants must deliver an operational prototype of an MDOC solution standardising services from strategic to tactical levels in an all-domain C2 environment, based on a system demonstrator at TRL 5 or higher. Mandatory eligible activities: studies, design, system prototyping, testing, qualification. Certification and lifecycle efficiency activities are optional. Proposals must not develop C3 planning/management/evaluation tools.

• Studies (mandatory): update CONOPS; explore edge principles for tactical use; architectural gap analysis; roadmap to IOC/FOC and accreditation; full engineering documentation.
• Design (mandatory): final reference architecture; tactical requirements; TRL5 end-to-end capabilities catalogue; data gateways for JDSS, FFI, LINK, VMF; information security concepts with data labelling and binding aligned to NATO standards and FMN; federated CI/CD and governance process models.
• System prototyping (mandatory): implement new and augmented components; build prototype using PoCs, new components, mock-ups and simulations.
• Testing (mandatory): demonstrate mandatory MDOC capability feature set; define KPIs (latency, throughput, availability, fault recovery, etc.); test and validation plan; build emulated operational environment; collect and analyse results with Member States and operational stakeholders; technical dossier.
• Qualification (mandatory): process ensuring prototype meets defence requirements in crisis/war scenarios.
• Optional studies and design: cohesive distributed MDO data lake compatible with NATO Core Data Framework; data-labelling/binding per STANAG 4774/4778/5636; ABAC and ICAM (e.g., ADatP-5663) with federated PEP/PAP; Zero Trust per ACP 240 resolving tensions with DCS.
• Further testing (recommended): expand prototype demonstrations.

Key functional requirements:Use open-source solutions wherever possible; EU/associated cloud providers only; combine real-time and non-real-time networks with gateways and compression; adaptive synchronisation to bandwidth constraints and node loss; modular, scalable integration with national and EU programmes; three-layer cloud-of-clouds (tactical edge, tactical fog, operational/strategic); degradation and failover concepts for autarkic and mobile platforms; resilience and performance at multiple tactical levels; automated multi-cloud deployment/orchestration; strong data consistency and recovery; AI-supported information aggregation; NATO/FMNs interoperability (STANAGs 4559, 4607, 4609, 4676, 4586, 4774, 4778; NAF, FMN spirals; open standards like OpenTelemetry, OpenAPI, TM Forum APIs, OpenAI where applicable); integration-readiness with European C2/C3 solutions (e.g., EDF-2022-DA-C4ISR-EC2).

Use cases to be covered:Mission preparation and planning; ISR; MPS/ASW; AWACS/AEW; TEWA; JFS/CAS; collaborative MEDEVAC; logistics and maintenance data management; C2 for all domains.

Synergies and lineage:Proposals must demonstrate complementarity and synergies with EDF-2021-DIGIT-D-MDOC and other relevant EU and national activities; avoid duplication and show integration pathways.

Who can apply and how the consortium should be formed

Eligible Applicant Types:SMEs, mid-caps, large enterprises (defence primes and suppliers), universities, research and technology organisations (RTOs), nonprofit organisations with defence R&D capacity, and public bodies with industrial/technological role. International organisations are generally not eligible unless composed exclusively of EU/associated countries and meeting EDF rules. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed without separate legal personality (subject to national law). Subcontractors involved in the action and associated partners must also meet EDF establishment and control conditions.

Consortium Requirement:Multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory. Minimum: 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries) from 3 different eligible countries. SMEs and mid-caps are encouraged and contribute to funding-rate bonuses. A consortium agreement is obligatory. Associated partners may join without funding, subject to conditions.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Eligible countries: EU Member States (including OCTs) and EDF associated countries (currently Norway). Entities must be established in eligible countries and have their executive management structure there. They must not be controlled by a non-associated third country or entity, unless Article 9(4) EDF Regulation guarantees approved by the competent Member State are provided. Subcontractors involved in the action and associated partners must comply with establishment/control conditions; associated partners from non-eligible or controlled environments may exceptionally participate without funding under strict safeguards and subject to granting authority agreement. Activities and use of infrastructure/resources must be located in eligible countries unless exceptionally authorised; costs outside eligible countries are not eligible for reimbursement.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States; Norway (EDF associated country). Clarifications in Q&A and call document: UK is not eligible under current EDF; Ukraine cannot be beneficiary/affiliated/subcontractor; exceptional associated-partner role may exist under strict conditions, without EU funding.

Funding, rates and co-financing

Funding Type:Grant (budget-based mixed actual cost grant with some unit cost/flat-rate options). Development Actions use actual costs; specific equipment can be charged as depreciation and, for listed items and prototyping, exceptionally at full cost per topic rules.

Funding Amount:Indicative topic budget: €40,000,000. The Commission may fund one proposal; more may be funded if quality and budget allow.

Funding rates (by activity, before bonuses):Studies 90%; Design 65%; System prototyping 20%; Testing 45%; Qualification 70%; Certification 70% (optional); Increasing lifecycle efficiency 65% (optional). Bonuses: up to +10% PESCO; SME cross-border/non-cross-border bonuses; +10% mid-cap bonus, with maximums up to 100% for some activities and up to 80% for testing/qualification/certification and up to 55% for prototyping. Individual funding rates must be calculated in the Detailed Budget Table and will be fixed in Annex 2e of the Grant Agreement. WP1 project management must use the Studies funding rate.

Co-funding Requirement:Development Actions require demonstration that non-EU-grant costs are financed by other means (e.g., national co-financing, own resources). Applicants must submit co-financing declarations with form, process and timeline; all fields are mandatory. Projects covering design must include harmonised capability requirements declarations by at least two Member States/associated countries; projects with prototyping/testing/qualification/certification must include Member State/associated country declarations of procurement intent and common technical specifications. Failure to provide these at proposal stage (subject to timing notes in templates) renders the proposal ineligible.

Application, evaluation and timeline

Application Type and Stages:Open call, single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants upload Part B and annexes as a single AES-256 password-protected zip; password must be emailed before deadline to DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS-PWD@ec.europa.eu with proposal ID and file name. Proposals including classified information must arrange secure delivery in advance with DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu. After evaluation, successful proposals enter Grant Agreement Preparation; some will undergo security scrutiny. SMEs selected receive business coaching. Therefore, stages: 1 submission; 1 evaluation step; grant preparation; signature by 31 December 2027 (indicative).

Deadlines and indicative timetable:Opening: 11 February 2026. Deadline: 28 April 2026 17:00 Brussels. Evaluation: May–July 2026. Information on results: July 2026. GA signature: by 31 December 2027. ¹

Award criteria (max 55 points, overall threshold 37):Excellence and potential of disruption (weight 2); Innovation and technological development (1); Competitiveness (1); EDTIB autonomy (2); Creation of new cross-border cooperation (2); Lifecycle efficiency (1); Member State cooperation (1); Implementation (1). No individual criterion threshold. Priority order for ties: Excellence, then Innovation, then Competitiveness, then Creation of new cross-border cooperation; then number of Member States/associated countries represented.

Submission package and admissibility:Part A (online admin and budget summary); Part B technical description (max 100 pages including WP tables); Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget table (EDF DA); Participant information; List of infrastructures/facilities/assets/resources with locations and FSC status; Co-financing declarations; Actual indirect cost methodology declarations (if applicable); Harmonised capability declarations (for design); Declarations on procurement intent and common specifications (for prototyping/testing/qualification/certification); Ownership control declarations and guarantees; PRS declaration (if Galileo PRS access needed). Missing mandatory annexes may render the proposal inadmissible or participants ineligible.

Cost eligibility and financial rules

• Personnel: actual costs or average personnel unit cost per usual practices; SME owner natural person unit cost allowed.
• Subcontracting: must be in eligible countries; normal procurement principles; should be limited (topic-specific limits may apply).
• Equipment: depreciation is standard; for this topic, depreciation and full cost for listed equipment is allowed and full cost for system prototyping equipment is permitted; renting/leasing eligible up to equivalent depreciation without financing fees.
• Travel/subsistence: actual costs.
• Other goods/services: actual costs including dissemination, protection of results, translations, guarantees.
• FSTP: allowed up to €60,000 per third party; management costs reimbursed at standard categories; all EDF projects in WP2026 may use FSTP when foreseen.
• Indirect costs: 25% flat rate of eligible direct costs (excluding subcontracting, FSTP and exempted categories) or actual indirects per accepted national methodology.
• VAT: non-deductible/non-refundable VAT is eligible (with public authority exception).
• Geographic cost restrictions: only costs for activities in eligible countries are eligible; assets/resources outside eligible countries are ineligible even if their use is exceptionally authorised.

Nature of Support:Money (grant reimbursements). Additionally, non-monetary business coaching is offered to successful SME beneficiaries.

Security, ethics and IPR

• Security: projects may involve EU classified information. Security scrutiny may apply; SAL will annex to the Grant. At least one beneficiary may need Facility Security Clearance before GA signature. Classified tasks may be subcontracted only with prior written approval and only to entities in EU or countries with security of information agreements. Beneficiaries must ensure no third-country control affecting implementation or results. Special PSI applies to EDF projects.
• Ethics: highest standards required. Ethics self-assessment and possible ethics deliverables are mandatory.
• IPR: Results belong to the consortium. Background/results must be free of third-country controls or restrictions; access rights and use follow EDF MGA and any topic-specific conditions. Strong IP strategy is evaluated under Competitiveness.

Target sector, project maturity and outcomes

Target Sector:Defence digitalisation and C4ISR: multi-domain command and control, cloud/edge computing, secure networking, cyber resilience, data-centric security, identity and access management, ISR data fusion, AI-assisted information management, interoperability (NATO/FMNs), communications and software-defined networking, terminals, and integration of sensors/effectors.

Project Stage:From studies and design through prototyping, testing and qualification. Demonstrator baseline TRL 5 or higher; deliver an operational prototype of a combat cloud, qualified for defence scenarios.

Detailed answers to categorisation questions

Eligible Applicant Types:SME, mid-cap, large enterprise, university, research institute/RTO, nonprofit, government (public bodies with industrial/technological roles), and other defence-sector legal entities meeting EDF eligibility and control rules. International organisations only if composed solely of EU/associated members and compliant. Individuals are not eligible (except specific self-employed cases under national law).

Funding Type:Grant (EDF Development Action, actual cost, budget-based, with unit/flat-rate elements where applicable).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium required: at least 3 independent beneficiaries from 3 eligible countries; multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory for this topic.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States and EDF associated countries (currently Norway), with executive management in eligible countries and not controlled by non-associated third countries/entities (unless approved guarantees). Activities and costs must be in eligible countries.

Target Sector:Defence; ICT/cloud; cyber security; C2/C3/C4ISR; networking and communications; AI-enabled data fusion; interoperability with NATO/FMNs; software-defined networks; agile terminals; advanced digital and deep tech.

Mentioned Countries:EU (all Member States) and Norway as an associated country. Notes in Q&A/call: UK not eligible; Ukraine not eligible as beneficiary/affiliated/subcontractor, may exceptionally act as associated partner without funding under strict conditions.

Project Stage:Development: studies, design, prototyping, testing, qualification; demonstrators at TRL 5+; no production.

Funding Amount:€40 million indicative for this topic; one grant expected. Individual project budget must fit topic envelope; the Commission may adjust.

Application Type:Open call, single-stage submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with password-protected zip for Part B and annexes.

Nature of Support:Monetary grant reimbursements; plus non-monetary SME business coaching post-award.

Application Stages:1 stage (single submission and one-step evaluation), followed by grant agreement preparation and possible security scrutiny.

Success Rates:Not disclosed in the call. The topic expects to fund one proposal; therefore competition may be high depending on submissions.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. Development Actions require evidence of financing for non-EU-grant portions through co-financing declarations. Funding rates vary by activity and bonuses; projects must submit harmonised capability requirements and procurement intent/common specifications declarations where applicable.

Templates and application structure

Part B technical template — structure:Part B includes: 1) Excellence and potential of disruption (overall concept; alignment with objectives, scope, functional requirements, expected impact; advantage/potential disruption). 2) Innovation and technological development (innovation potential; complementarity with previous R&D; spin-offs). 3) Competitiveness (advantage; growth potential; IP strategy). 4) EDTIB autonomy (non-dependency; security of supply; capability priorities). 5) Creation of new cross-border cooperation (new cooperation; future cooperation; SME/mid-cap cross-border value). 6) Lifecycle efficiency (improvements across lifecycle). 7) Member State cooperation (commitments to joint use/ownership/maintenance). 8) Implementation (work plan; WPs with activity types, milestones, deliverables; resources; subcontracting; timeline; consortium setup; management; quality and M&E strategy; cost effectiveness and financial management; coherence with co-financing; risk management; communication/dissemination). 9) Other (ethics; security). 10) Declarations (PESCO/SME/mid-cap bonuses; project manager linkage; PRS; compliance with international law; lethal autonomous weapons clause; background/results free of third-country restrictions; spinning-in; previous EDF/PADR/EDIDP links; double funding; FSTP justification if higher ceiling).²

Mandatory annex templates and their purpose:Detailed budget table (EDF DA); Participant information (roles, key staff, previous projects, affiliated entities/associated partners justification); List of infrastructures/facilities/assets/resources with precise locations and FSC status; Co-financing declaration (mandatory template, with amounts, status, availability date, process/timeline, expected IPR-related return); Actual indirect cost methodology declaration (if opting for actual indirects, with national pricing authority confirmation); Harmonised defence capability requirements declaration (for design activities) by competent Member State authorities; Declaration on procurement intent and common technical specifications (for prototyping/testing/qualification/certification activities) by competent authorities, including intended procurement and common specs; Ownership control declaration and, where needed, ownership control guarantee and approval by national authority per Article 9(4) EDF; PRS declaration (if Galileo PRS access needed).

Key portal forms and constraints:Part A must be filled online (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners with draft PICs; budget summary). Part B must be uploaded as a single password-protected zip; page limit 100 pages. The online budget summary must match the detailed budget table; otherwise the online figures prevail.

Practical compliance checkpoints

• Demonstrate synergies with EDF-2021-DIGIT-D-MDOC and other relevant lines; avoid duplication.
• Include Member State letters: harmonised capability requirements for design; procurement intent/common specifications for prototyping/testing/qualification/certification.
• Plan for deployment in degraded connectivity and contested EM environments; show self-forming, self-healing, graceful degradation, redundancy, and autarkic operations.
• Adopt NATO STANAGs, FMN spirals and open standards as explicitly cited; provide mapping tables in the design WP.
• Define gateway strategy and data model harmonisation across domains with semantic reference models compatible with NATO CDF.
• Provide Zero Trust and Data Centric Security designs that resolve contradictions; specify ABAC/ICAM architectures with federated PEP/PAP.
• KPIs and testbeds: define quantitative thresholds for latency, throughput, availability, MTTR, sync lag, data consistency after failover; build emulation environment and real-world demonstrations for selected elements.
• Security and classification: address SAL, FSC, PSC, PSI alignment; avoid third-country control or restrictions on background/results; plan for intra-EU transfer authorisations.
• SME/mid-cap integration: structure cross-border SME participation to maximise funding-rate bonuses and real industrial value.
• FSTP: if used, define closed list of supported activities, selection criteria, amounts (≤ €60,000), and processes.

Contact and support

For call-specific questions: DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu. For submission IT issues: Funding & Tenders IT Helpdesk via the Portal. National Focal Points can guide partner search and national procedures.

Summary and explanation

This EDF call funds a flagship European defence digitalisation effort to deliver a first operational prototype of a multi-domain combat cloud. The project will federate COI and COI-enabling services across domains, ensuring resilient, secure, interoperable information sharing from the tactical edge to strategic levels. Proposals must carry the project across multiple development stages (studies, design, prototyping, testing, qualification), provide a TRL 5+ demonstrator baseline, and comply with stringent functional requirements, including NATO/FMNs interoperability, data-centric security, zero trust, and degraded-network performance. The consortium must be transnational with entities from at least three eligible countries, include strong participation from SMEs and mid-caps, and secure Member State backing through harmonised capability requirements and procurement-intent/common-specifications declarations. Funding rates depend on activity type and can be enhanced via PESCO/SME/mid-cap bonuses, but Development Actions require co-financing evidence. The application is a single-stage submission via the EU Portal, with a detailed Part B and multiple mandatory annexes, and will be evaluated on excellence, innovation, competitiveness, EDTIB autonomy, cross-border cooperation, lifecycle efficiency, Member State cooperation, and implementation quality. Security and ethics are central, potentially involving classified work under a Security Aspects Letter and Programme Security Instruction. The intended outcome is a European collaborative MDOC capability that improves decision superiority, joint effectiveness and EU strategic autonomy, while strengthening the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and contributing to STEP’s deep and digital tech objectives.

Footnotes

1. 1Timing, budget, and topic overview are stated on the topic page and in the EDF-2026-DA-EXP call document: Topic page and Call document PDF.
2. 2Part B structure and annex templates are available via the Portal submission system; sample templates referenced: Application form and Part B structure EDF Application Form V6.0, Participant information Template, List of infrastructures/facilities/assets/resources Template, Co-financing declaration Template, Actual indirect cost methodology Template, Harmonised capability requirements Template, Procurement intent and common specifications Template, Ownership control guarantee Template, PRS declaration Template.

Military Multi-Domain Operations Cloud Services - EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a European Defence Fund (EDF) call for proposals supporting the development of military multi-domain operations cloud services. The call is specifically designed to advance collaborative European defence capabilities through the development of secure, interoperable cloud-based systems that enable information sharing and command and control across all combat domains: land, air, maritime, cyber, and space.

Key Opportunity Details

Call Identifier:EDF-2026-DA-EXP-DIGIT-MDOC (also referenced as EDF-2026-DA on the Participant Portal)

Call Type:Development Actions implemented via actual cost grants (expedited call)

Total Budget:€40,000,000 for this topic

Submission Deadline:28 April 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time)

Opening Date:11 February 2026

Number of Projects to be Funded:One proposal is expected to be funded for this topic. However, depending on the quality of submissions and available budget, more than one proposal may be funded.

Scope and Objectives

The call focuses on the development of a Multi-Domain Operations Cloud (MDOC) solution that standardises services across the battlefield from strategic to tactical level in an all-domain command and control environment. The objective is to address current challenges in military information sharing where data is siloed in subsystems with point-to-point interfaces, preventing effective coordination across different combat domains.

Projects must design, implement, and demonstrate an operational prototype capable of supporting situational awareness and command and control across land, air, maritime, cyber, and space domains. The prototype must function effectively in high-intensity conflict scenarios with degraded IT services and contested electromagnetic environments.

Mandatory Project Activities

Proposals must cover the following mandatory types of activities as defined in Article 10(3) of the EDF Regulation:

• Studies including concept of operations review, edge principles exploration, architectural gap analysis, and operational readiness roadmaps
• Design including final reference architecture definition, data gateway implementation, information security concept design, and federated governance process development
• System Prototyping including implementation of design components and construction of a system prototype based on proof-of-concept elements
• Testing including capability feature demonstration, key performance indicator setting, test environment creation, and test result analysis
• Qualification ensuring the system prototype meets specific defence requirements in crisis and war scenarios

Proposals may also include optional activities such as integrating knowledge, certification, and development of technologies increasing efficiency across the lifecycle.

Technical Requirements and Constraints

Successful proposals must deliver technological solutions at Technology Readiness Level 5 or higher and address specific functional requirements that include open-source solutions to ensure sovereignty, cloud service provider location in EU or EDF associated countries, handling of real-time and non-real-time data, network bandwidth adaptation, modular scalability, degradation and failover concepts, and automatic IT service deployment and orchestration.

The solution must be compatible with NATO agreed interfaces and processes, compliant with NATO standards and the Federated Mission Networking specifications, and capable of hosting and integrating with existing EU command and control systems. Critical implementation areas include command and control cloud solutions, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance applications, software-defined networks, agile terminals, cyber awareness, and data-centric security.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Minimum Consortium Composition:At least 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries) from 3 different eligible countries are mandatory for this call.

Eligible Participants:Legal entities established in EU Member States or EDF associated countries (currently Norway). Entities must have executive management structure in eligible countries and must not be controlled by non-associated third countries, unless they provide approved guarantees. Participation by associated partners from non-eligible countries is possible under specific conditions ensuring no adverse impact on EU security and defence interests.

Excluded Participants:Natural persons (except self-employed sole traders), entities without legal personality (exceptions possible with adequate guarantees), entities subject to EU restrictive measures, and entities subject to EU conditionality measures are not eligible. Ukrainian entities cannot participate as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, or involved subcontractors.

Mandatory Supporting Declarations and Documentation

Applicants must submit comprehensive documentation including co-financing declarations from all co-financers, harmonised defence capability requirements declarations from at least two Member States or EDF associated countries confirming support, and declarations on procurement intent and common technical specifications from at least two Member States or EDF associated countries confirming their intention to jointly procure or use the final product.

Additional mandatory requirements include ownership control declarations for all beneficiaries, affiliated entities, and subcontractors involved in the action, participant information forms with descriptions and key staff profiles, detailed budget tables, and lists of infrastructure, facilities, and resources to be used. A harmonised capability declaration must confirm that design activities are based on capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries.

Funding Terms and Conditions

Grant Type and Form:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant. Beneficiaries will be reimbursed only for eligible costs actually incurred, not budgeted amounts.

Funding Rate:Variable funding rates apply depending on the type of activity performed, ranging from 20% for system prototyping to 90% for studies. Additional bonuses are available for SME participation (up to 5% or 10% for cross-border SMEs), mid-cap participation (10% bonus if at least 15% of costs allocated), and PESCO project participation (10% bonus). Maximum funding rate can reach 100% with applicable bonuses.

Eligible Cost Categories:Personnel costs, subcontracting costs (limited to less than 30% of total costs per beneficiary), travel and subsistence, equipment (depreciation and full cost for listed equipment, with full cost only for system prototyping activities), other goods and services, financial support to third parties (maximum €60,000 per recipient), internally invoiced goods and services, and indirect costs (flat-rate 25% or actual costs with justification).

Prefinancing:Approximately 55% of the maximum grant amount will be provided as initial prefinancing 30 days from entry into force or starting date, whichever is latest. Prefinancing guarantees may be required.

Payment Schedule:Payments are made based on periodic reporting (additional prefinancing reports, interim payments linked to periodic reports, and final payment). Payments will be withheld if any consortium member has outstanding debts to the EU.

Evaluation and Selection Process

The evaluation follows a single-stage submission and one-step evaluation procedure. Proposals are first checked for admissibility and eligibility requirements. Eligible proposals are then evaluated against operational capacity and award criteria by an evaluation committee assisted by independent external experts.

Award Criteria (Maximum 55 Points):Excellence and potential of disruption (weight 2), Innovation and technological development (weight 1), Competitiveness (weight 1), EDTIB autonomy (weight 2), Creation of new cross-border cooperation (weight 2), Lifecycle efficiency (weight 1), Member State cooperation (weight 1), and Implementation (weight 1). All criteria use a 0-5 point scale with half-point increments allowed.

Minimum Pass Score:Overall threshold of 37 points is required. There is no individual criterion minimum score.

Evaluation Timeline:Evaluation is planned for May through July 2026, with information on results provided in July 2026. Grant agreement signature target is by 31 December 2027.

Application Requirements and Submission Process

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal before the 28 April 2026 deadline. Submission is a two-step process: Part A contains administrative information about participants and summarised budget and must be filled directly online; Part B contains the technical description and must be downloaded, completed, and uploaded as a password-protected single zip file using AES-256 encryption.

Part B Page Limit:Maximum 100 pages counting work package descriptions. Excess pages will not be considered by evaluators.

Mandatory Annexes:Detailed budget table, participant information, list of infrastructure and resources, co-financing declarations, actual indirect cost methodology declarations (if using actual costs), harmonised capability declarations, procurement intent declarations, ownership control declarations, and PRS declaration (if applicable). All annexes must use provided templates in correct format.

Password Protection:Passwords must be communicated to DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS-PWD@ec.europa.eu before the submission deadline along with proposal ID and zip archive name.

Classified Information:If proposals include classified information, applicants must contact DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu well in advance to arrange special delivery procedures. Classified documents must never be submitted online through the Portal.

Key Advantages and Strategic Fit

This call supports the development of critical defence capabilities aligned with EU strategic autonomy and the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Successful projects will contribute to information superiority across European armed forces, enhance interoperability between Member States, and reduce technological dependencies on third countries. The call promotes cross-border cooperation among SMEs, mid-caps, and larger defence contractors while addressing genuine operational challenges in modern multi-domain warfare.

Special Conditions and Considerations

Security Requirements:Projects may involve classified information requiring security scrutiny. At least one beneficiary must have facility security clearance before grant agreement signature. Member States of participating beneficiaries may establish a specific security framework for handling classified foreground information generated by the project.

Equipment Costs:For this topic, equipment costs may be declared as depreciation and full cost for listed equipment, with full cost only permitted for system prototyping activities.

Financial Support to Third Parties:Allowed within the set ceiling of €60,000 per recipient, with at least 70% of FSTP budget allocated to validation services if used.

Synergy with Previous Activities:Proposals must demonstrate how they will harness synergies and complementarities with planned, ongoing, or completed activities from the EDF-2021-DIGIT-D-MDOC topic on Military multi-domain operations cloud.

Contact and Support Information

For non-IT related questions about the call, contact DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu with clear reference to the call and topic identifiers. For IT and technical issues with the submission system, contact the IT Helpdesk. Applicants are encouraged to consult the EU Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual, Portal FAQ, and Call Topic Q&A section regularly for updates and clarifications. National Focal Points appointed by Member States can provide additional support in identifying partnership opportunities and understanding call conditions.

Critical Recommendations for Applicants

• Begin preparation well in advance of the 28 April 2026 deadline to avoid last-minute technical issues
• Ensure all consortium members register in the Participant Portal and obtain PICs before proposal submission
• Verify that all participants have valid SME or mid-cap self-assessments if claiming bonuses
• Obtain co-financing commitments and procurement intent confirmations from Member States early in the preparation phase
• Establish a consortium agreement addressing roles, responsibilities, and financial risk distribution
• Carefully align project scope with mandatory activities and functional requirements specified in the call document
• Prepare comprehensive risk management strategies addressing technical, schedule, and security risks
• Ensure proposed budget is cost-effective and balanced across work packages with detailed justification
• Document how the solution addresses security, interoperability, and strategic autonomy objectives
• Plan for security scrutiny and facility clearance processes early if classified information will be handled
• Verify eligibility of all participants including no control by non-associated third countries
• Maintain records of all supporting documents for audits and compliance checks

This is a significant opportunity for European defence industry participants to contribute to critical multi-domain military capabilities while accessing substantial EU funding support. The call represents the EU's commitment to strengthening defence technological independence and fostering collaborative innovation across Member States through the European Defence Fund framework.