Non-thematic research actions targeting disruptive technologies for defence

The European Defence Fund (EDF) has issued a call for proposals focusing on research actions that target disruptive technologies for defense applications, known as "Non-thematic research actions targeting disruptive technologies for defence." The primary aim is to establish a foundation for radically new technologies that could lead to significant advantages in defense capabilities.

Eligible applicants include a diverse range of entities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large corporations, universities, and research organizations from EU member states and Norway. The call promotes collaboration within consortia consisting of at least two entities from different eligible countries, emphasizing the need for a consortium agreement.

The funding structure involves lump sum grants, specifically classified as EDF Lump Sum Grants, with an overarching budget of EUR 43 million allocated across two distinct topics: EDF-2025-LS-RA-DIS-GDET with EUR 23 million and EDF-2025-LS-RA-DIS-NT with EUR 20 million. Each project may receive funding up to a maximum of EUR 4 million, supporting early-stage research and development activities like knowledge generation, feasibility studies, and design efforts, while excluding prototyping, testing, and the development of technologies for improving efficiency.

The application process is a single-stage procedure that opens on February 18, 2025, and closes on October 16, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. Proposals should focus on innovative concepts, presenting a clear methodology to address and mitigate inherent risks associated with high-risk, high-impact research.

Applications must adhere to specific admissibility conditions, including page limits and layout requirements, and provide comprehensive documentation, including a detailed budget and declarations relating to financial capacity and indirect costs. Various model grant agreements and documents are relevant for applicants, and the EDF has provided resources such as an electronic submission system and contact information for assistance.

Overall, this call encourages the participation of new actors in defense research, fostering innovation and ensuring technological superiority in the defense sector by targeting breakthrough advancements through research funding.

This is a call for proposals under the European Defence Fund (EDF) for research actions targeting disruptive technologies for defence. The call, titled "Non-thematic research actions targeting disruptive technologies for defence," aims to lay the foundations for radically new future technologies with unexpected impact, leading to radical technological superiority. It encourages the participation of new actors in defence research and innovation, including researchers, SMEs, and research centers.

The call seeks proposals for cutting-edge, high-risk/high-impact research with game-changing potential in a defence context. Proposals must demonstrate a disruptive impact in a defence context, present a radical vision enabled by a new technology concept, and target novel and ambitious scientific or technological breakthroughs. The inherent risks of the research must be mitigated by a flexible methodology. Proposals should address disruptive technologies and include clear criteria for assessing work package completion. Any area of interest for defence can be addressed.

Eligible activities include creating knowledge, integrating knowledge, conducting feasibility studies, and designing defence products or components. System prototyping, testing, qualification, certification, and development of technologies for increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products are not eligible. The call is open to any technology with high disruption potential, and proposals should describe targeted functionalities and means to measure progress.

The call has two topics: EDF-2025-LS-RA-DIS-GDET with a budget of 23,000,000 EUR and EDF-2025-LS-RA-DIS-NT with a budget of 20,000,000 EUR. Both are EDF Lump Sum Grants and follow a single-stage submission process. The opening date for submissions is February 18, 2025, and the deadline is October 16, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The call specifies admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, and other eligibility conditions. It also outlines financial and operational capacity requirements, exclusion criteria, submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring and thresholds, an indicative timeline, and legal and financial setup of the grants.

Applicants must use the standard application form (EDF) available in the Submission System and provide a detailed budget table, participant information, a list of infrastructure, facilities, assets and resources, an actual indirect cost methodology declaration, an ownership control declaration, and a PRS declaration. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) such as the EDF, ASAP, and EDIRPA Lump Sum MGA are relevant. Additional documents include the EDF Annual Work Programme, EDF Regulation 2021/697, EDF Programme Security Instruction (PSI), EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides access to the Electronic Submission Service. Applicants should carefully read all provisions before preparing their application. For help, contact DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu. EDF Info-days 2025, the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual are available resources.

In summary, this European Defence Fund call seeks proposals for high-risk, high-impact research into disruptive technologies for defence applications. It aims to foster radical innovation and technological superiority by funding projects that challenge existing paradigms and involve new actors in the defence sector. The call provides funding through lump sum grants and has specific requirements for proposal content, eligibility, and evaluation. The goal is to create a foundation for future defence technologies that can provide a significant advantage over potential adversaries.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call encourages the participation of excellent researchers, ambitious high-tech SMEs, and visionary research centers of big companies, universities, or research and technology organizations. Therefore, eligible applicant types include, but are not limited to, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, and research and technology organizations.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically an EDF Lump Sum Grant (EDF-LS).

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated as mandatory, the partner search announcements and the nature of the projects suggest that a consortium is expected. The text mentions "consortium agreement is obligatory in EDF Grants".

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call specifies that applicants must be legal entities established in one of the EDF eligible countries. The eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document.

Target Sector: The program targets the defence sector, specifically focusing on research and development of disruptive technologies for defence applications.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions EU Member States and Norway as countries with nominated National Focal Points. It also mentions Ukraine as a country whose entities cannot be beneficiaries, affiliated entities or subcontractors involved in any EDF project.

Project Stage: The projects should lay the foundations for radically new future technologies, suggesting a focus on early-stage research and development. The eligible activities include generating and integrating knowledge, studies, and design, but exclude system prototyping, testing, qualification, certification, and development of technologies for increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products. The target is breakthrough technological targets that can be experimentally assessed, suggesting a research and development stage.

Funding Amount: The budget overview indicates two topics: EDF-2025-LS-RA-DIS-GDET with a budget of EUR 23,000,000 and EDF-2025-LS-RA-DIS-NT with a budget of EUR 20,000,000. These are lump sum grants.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-financing is not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the European Defence Fund (EDF) for research actions targeting disruptive technologies for defence. The goal is to lay the foundations for radically new technologies that can provide a significant advantage in the defence sector. The call encourages the participation of a wide range of actors, including researchers, SMEs, universities, and research organizations. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage. The projects should focus on early-stage research and development, with an emphasis on high-risk, high-impact technologies that can bring about game-changing advancements in defence capabilities. The call is open to any technology with a high disruption potential, and proposals should describe the targeted functionalities and the means to measure progress. The total budget available is EUR 43,000,000 divided between two topics. The call aims to enhance the innovation capacity of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and to foster collaboration and competitiveness in the European defence sector.