Open Call for Cutting-Edge Defence Solutions

The BattleVerse 1st Open Call, a cascade funding action under the European Defence Fund, offers a total of €1.2 million to finance six-month experiments that develop and validate defence-related technologies in three technical areas: large language models for decision support, multi-physics multi-domain simulation, and distributed AI for coordinated UxV operations. Eligible applicants are primarily SMEs (single beneficiaries or consortia of up to three), established in EU27 Member States, Norway or Ukraine, with typical ceilings of €60,000 per beneficiary and up to €180,000 per experiment, and experiments are expected to reach at least TRL 5. Submissions must be single-stage, written in English, use the mandatory Proposal Template and be submitted exclusively via the BattleVerse Submission Portal by 16 November 2026 at 18:00 Brussels time. Applicants must comply with EDF ownership, security, ethics, conflict of interest and data protection requirements and will receive targeted coaching and access to the BattleVerse experimentation environment if selected.

What it funds

Scope and technical topics

Six-month experiments to develop and validate innovative defence-related technologies contributing to advanced mission planning, simulation, training and execution. Proposals must address one of three topics: 1) Large Language Models and AI for strategic decision-making, symbolic reasoning, game-theoretic modelling and planning under uncertainty; 2) multi-physics, multi-domain simulation and Digital Twin/MSaaS capabilities; 3) distributed AI and machine-learning for autonomous unmanned systems and coordinated swarm operations. Experiments should reach at least TRL 5 by the end of the implementation period.

Funding & duration:Total open-call cascade funding available €1 200 000. Individual experiments may request up to €180 000 per experiment (up to €60 000 per beneficiary); selected experiments run for 6 months. Applications via the BattleVerse Submission Portal BattleVerse Submission Portal ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: legal private entities qualifying as SMEs (including start-ups). Participation by RTOs or academia only if no suitable SME is available and duly justified.
2. 2Eligible locations: legal entities established in EU27 Member States, Norway or Ukraine; applicants must meet EDF ownership, security, ethics and financial-capacity rules.

Consortium rules:experiments can be implemented by a single SME or a consortium of up to three beneficiaries. Proposals must be submitted in English using the project template and follow the call governance, lump-sum modalities and EDF rules.

Footnotes

1. 1Submission and full call conditions are available on the BattleVerse Submission Portal BattleVerse Submission Portal and on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Call on EU Portal.

Opportunity summary

What this call funds

The BattleVerse 1st Open Call provides cascade funding (Financial Support to Third Parties) under the European Defence Fund Development Action (Grant Agreement No 101224034). It finances time‑boxed six‑month experiments that develop, integrate and demonstrate innovative technologies that contribute to advanced mission planning, multi‑domain simulation, training and execution in defence‑related environments. Experiments must target one of three technical topics (LLMs for strategic decision-making; multi‑physics multi‑domain simulation; distributed AI for coordinated UxV swarm operations) and are expected to reach at least TRL 5 by the end of the six‑month implementation period. Selected beneficiaries also receive targeted coaching and guidance from the BattleVerse consortium but remain fully responsible for implementation and delivery.

Opening and deadline:Opening date: 14 September 2026. Single-stage call deadline: 16 November 2026 18:00 Brussels time. Expected implementation duration for each selected experiment: 6 months.

Total funding available and per-experiment ceilings:Total budget for this open call: €1,200,000. Typical maximum financial support: up to €60,000 per beneficiary and up to €180,000 per experiment (for consortia of up to three beneficiaries). Exact maxima and lump-sum arrangements are defined in the call conditions and Proposal Template.

Detailed eligibility and applicant rules

Eligible applicant types and consortium rules

Primary eligible applicants:Small and Medium‑Sized Enterprises (SMEs), including start‑ups. Experiments may be implemented by a single SME/start‑up or by a consortium of up to three beneficiaries. Participation by non‑SME entities (research and technology organisations, academia or other legal private entities) is only permitted where no suitable SME is available to provide the specific capacity or expertise required for the successful implementation of the experiment; such non‑SME participation must be fully justified in the proposal. All beneficiaries must be legal entities.

Geographic and ownership eligibility

Eligible legal entities must be established in one of the following countries:any EU27 Member State, Norway or Ukraine. Additional EDF ownership and control requirements apply: applicants controlled by entities from non‑eligible countries will be excluded. Applicants must submit an Ownership Control Declaration. The call follows the EDF Implementing Decision C(2025) 568 final regarding country eligibility parameters.

Scope, targeted technologies and required maturity

Targeted thematic sectors and technology areas

The Call addresses defence simulation, mission planning, training, and autonomous systems. Specific technology focus areas are: (1) Large Language Models and AI for strategic decision‑making, symbolic reasoning, game‑theoretic modelling, planning under uncertainty and human‑in‑the‑loop approaches; (2) Multi‑physics, multi‑domain modelling and simulation capabilities (digital twins, MSaaS, integrated environment modelling across land, air, naval, underwater and EW domains); and (3) Distributed AI and machine learning for autonomous systems and coordinated multi‑UxV swarm operations including resilient communications, distributed coordination and human supervision modalities.

Expected technology readiness level:Each experiment is expected to achieve at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 by the end of the six‑month implementation period, demonstrating component/subsystem validation in a relevant environment.

1. 1Topic 1: LLMs for strategic decision-making, symbolic reasoning, game theory and planning under uncertainty — experimentation use of LLMs and human‑in‑the‑loop decision support.
2. 2Topic 2: Multi‑physics simulation capabilities for multi‑domain defence environments — integrated modelling for complex interactions across domains including EW, surface/submarine warfare and joint operations.
3. 3Topic 3: Distributed AI for autonomous systems (UxVs) for coordinated swarm operations — distributed algorithms, resilience, adaptive tasking, supervised autonomy and swarming behaviours.

Funding modalities, budget and co‑funding

Funding type and form of support

Primary financial mechanism:grant in the form of Financial Support to Third Parties (cascade funding). The call uses lump‑sum grant modalities for small experiments (lump sums and budget ceilings apply as specified in the Proposal Template and call text). The funding is non‑repayable subject to compliance with the Agreement and EDF rules.

Maximum amounts and total call budget:Total funding available for the open call: €1,200,000. Individual beneficiary ceiling: up to €60,000. Per experiment (consortium) ceiling: up to €180,000. Exact award amounts are determined after evaluation and in compliance with the EDF lump‑sum modalities and the grant conditions.

Co‑funding requirement:Applicants must demonstrate they have the know‑how, qualifications and resources to implement the experiment and contribute their share. The call text indicates beneficiaries must ‘contribute their share’; therefore applicants should budget for and be able to demonstrate the necessary counterpart contribution and operational resources. The specific co‑funding or contribution expectations are detailed in the Proposal Template and must be respected in the financial annexes.

All EDF eligibility, ownership and security requirements apply. Beneficiaries must comply with ethics, security and data protection requirements set out in the Guide for Applicants and the Call Conditions. Non‑compliance can lead to rejection, grant reduction or termination in line with EDF Model Grant Agreement procedures.

Application, evaluation and selection

How to apply

Submission method:electronic only via the dedicated BattleVerse Submission Portal. Applications submitted by email, post or any other means will not be considered. Proposals must be written in English in all mandatory parts to be eligible. The project description must not exceed 15 pages and must use the official Proposal Template. The evaluation will be topic‑specific and follow transparent EDF evaluation criteria.

Application templates and structure:Applicants must use the official Proposal Template (Proposal Template is mandatory — only proposals included in this template will be evaluated). The template limits the project description to 15 pages for the technical part and requires sections on: technical approach, impact and contribution to BattleVerse, demonstration plan and TRL progression, workplan and milestones covering the six‑month experiment, team and partner roles, risk analysis and mitigation, security and ethics compliance, data management and exploitation plan, and a detailed cost breakdown and justification. Ownership Control Declaration and other mandatory forms must be uploaded with the proposal.

The call organiser will host an online info session on 6 October 2026 at 10:00 CET to provide clarifications for applicants.

Evaluation process, stages and timings:Submission and evaluation model: single‑stage call. Proposals are evaluated once (single stage) by independent evaluators using transparent criteria aligned with EDF Model Grant Agreement and lump‑sum funding modalities. Evaluation is performed per topic. Shortlisting and negotiation are subject to call governance and EDF procedures.

1. 1Submission via BattleVerse Submission Portal using Proposal Template (English).
2. 2Single-stage evaluation by independent evaluators. Topic-specific evaluation applies.
3. 3Award decision and grant offering by the BattleVerse consortium (cascade funding contract).
4. 4Experiment implementation (6 months) with consortium monitoring and access to coaching and guidance.
5. 5Final experiment deliverable, TRL demonstration and final reporting.

Number of application stages:1 (single‑stage submission).

Administrative, legal and security requirements

Applicants must comply with all EDF eligibility and administrative rules as described in the Guide for Applicants and Model Grant Agreement, including submission of Ownership Control Declaration, compliance with security requirements (EDF security rules for classified and sensitive information), ethics requirements (Article 7 of the EDF Regulation), conflict of interest rules and data protection. The call is managed as Financial Support to Third Parties and is implemented in compliance with EDF Model Grant Agreement provisions.

Language and documentation:All mandatory parts of the proposal must be submitted in English. Only proposals that follow the official Proposal Template will be reviewed. Applicants should consult the BattleVerse Open Calls web pages and the BattleVerse Submission Portal for call documents, templates, Guide for Applicants and terms for FSTP. The call conditions, guidance documentation and submission portal contain the full set of templates, annexes and declarations required for application BattleVerse Open Calls BattleVerse Submission Portal EDF Work Programme & Implementing Decision.

Selection criteria, award and post‑award support

Evaluation criteria:proposals must demonstrate a clear technological contribution to the BattleVerse ecosystem, a credible implementation and demonstration plan, ability to attain TRL 5 within six months, adequate team and SME implementation capacity, and adherence to security and ethical requirements. The awarding decision takes into account technical excellence, impact (contribution to BattleVerse and EDTIB), quality and efficiency of implementation, and eligibility/compliance with EDF rules.

Support to selected beneficiaries:Selected beneficiaries receive financial support for the experiment (lump‑sum / budgeted grant), targeted coaching and guidance from the BattleVerse consortium (technical and integration coaching), and access to the BattleVerse simulation environment for integration and validation activities. Beneficiaries remain fully responsible for implementation and delivery of the experiments.

Who should apply and project stage expectations

Target applicants are SMEs and start‑ups with demonstrable capabilities in AI, simulation, modelling, distributed autonomy, robotics/UxVs, or adjacent software‑defined defence technologies. Projects should be beyond idea stage, at research‑to‑development maturity, and capable of reaching TRL 5 in six months (i.e. component/subsystem validated in relevant environment). Demonstration‑ready prototypes, simulation modules, model integrations or software agents that can be integrated and validated within the BattleVerse environment are ideal candidates.

Administrative and practical notes

1. 1Proposals must be submitted through the BattleVerse Submission Portal only; other submission routes are not accepted.
2. 2Project description must not exceed 15 pages and must use the official Proposal Template.
3. 3All mandatory proposal parts must be in English or the proposal will be ineligible.
4. 4Consortia may include up to three beneficiaries. Participation by RTOs or academic institutions is allowed only if justified by lack of available SME capacity.
5. 5Applicants must submit an Ownership Control Declaration and comply with EDF security and ethics rules.

Unknowns, risks and recommended applicant actions

Success rate:not specified in the call documents; depends on the number and quality of applications received and the available budget. Applicants should assume competitive selection and focus on clarity of technological contribution, feasibility of achieving TRL 5 within six months, and compliance with EDF ownership, security and ethics requirements. Co‑funding detail: applicants must evidence resources and share of effort; full co‑funding rules and eligible cost modalities are provided in the Proposal Template and FSTP grant documents.

Comprehensive summary: what is this opportunity about and how to approach it

The BattleVerse 1st Open Call is a cascade funding opportunity under the European Defence Fund designed to identify, fund and validate short, focused experiments from SMEs and start‑ups that provide high‑value technological contributions to mission planning, multi‑domain simulation and autonomous systems for defence. With a total pot of €1.2 million, experiments are small, six‑month projects expected to reach at least TRL 5. Applicants should be operational SMEs with demonstrable experience in AI (including LLMs), simulation and modelling, multi‑physics integration, distributed autonomy or robotics, and must be established in the EU27, Norway or Ukraine. Proposals are submitted only through the BattleVerse Submission Portal using the mandatory Proposal Template (English, 15‑page technical limit). Successful applicants receive grant funding (lump sums or defined ceilings), technical coaching and access to the BattleVerse environment for integration and validation. Compliance with EDF ownership, control, security, ethics and data protection rules is mandatory. The call is single‑stage and topic‑specific; applicants should prepare concise, evidence‑based proposals showing technical novelty, integration strategy with BattleVerse, a feasible test/demonstration plan to reach TRL 5, clear workplan and budget, and proofs of organisational capacity and legal/ownership compliance.

Footnotes

1. 1The BattleVerse Submission Portal hosts call documentation, templates and the online application form. Applicants must register and submit proposals exclusively via this portal.

This is a BattleVerse cascade funding opportunity under the European Defence Fund that supports six month experiments to develop and validate innovative defence related technologies for mission planning, simulation, training and execution. Public BattleVerse materials describe the wider project as a human centred MSaaS ecosystem that bridges real and virtual battle environments using battlefield modelling, adversarial AI and multi domain simulation.[6]

Funding at a glance

Funding and scheme context:The current call shows €1.2 million available, while the wider BATTLEVERSE cascade funding scheme is presented publicly as €2.4 million total for third party support across two calls, with a ceiling of €60,000 per third party.[14]

What the funding is about

The call is designed to fund innovative experiments that advance the BattleVerse ecosystem in defence related environments. Selected applicants are expected to develop, demonstrate and assess the potential contribution of their solution over six months, reaching at least TRL 5 by the end of implementation.

The opportunity is especially relevant for organisations that can turn a working prototype into a credible defence focused experiment with clear integration value, realistic validation and a strong technical contribution.

Who can apply

The call primarily targets SMEs, including start ups. Experiments may be implemented by a single SME or start up, or by a consortium of up to three beneficiaries. Participation by non SME entities such as research and technology organisations or academic institutions is only allowed in justified cases where the required capacity or expertise cannot be provided by an eligible SME.

• Applicants must be legal private entities qualifying as SMEs under the European Commission definition.
• Applicants must be established in an eligible country, namely an EU27 Member State, Norway or Ukraine.
• Entities controlled by a non eligible country are excluded.
• Applicants must sign and submit the Ownership Control Declaration.
• Applicants must have the know how, qualifications, resources and relevant project experience needed to deliver the experiment.
• Applicants must comply with ethics, security, financial capacity, conflict of interest and data protection requirements.
• Applicants must not have any conflict of interest with BattleVerse consortium partners.

Technical topics

1. 1LLMs for strategic decision making, symbolic reasoning, game theory and planning under uncertainty, including human in the loop approaches.
2. 2Multi physics simulation capabilities for multi domain defence environments.
3. 3Distributed AI for autonomous systems and coordinated swarm operations for UxVs.

Across all three topics, proposals should show a credible implementation path, a clear technological contribution and a realistic route to advancing the BattleVerse simulation environment.

Application and compliance requirements

• Applications must be submitted exclusively through the BattleVerse Submission Portal.
• The proposal must be written in English in all mandatory sections.
• The project description must not exceed 15 pages.
• Only proposals prepared using the official Proposal Template will be evaluated.
• Applications sent by email, post or any other method will not be considered.
• Evaluation is performed per topic.
• The assessment follows transparent evaluation criteria and lump sum funding modalities.
• Selected beneficiaries will receive targeted coaching and guidance from the BattleVerse consortium, but remain fully responsible for implementation and delivery.

Practical assessment for applicants

This call is best suited to smaller companies that already have a prototype or near prototype technology in AI enabled decision support, simulation and digital twins, or autonomous systems and swarm coordination. Strong applications will show defence relevance, a concrete validation plan, a realistic six month work programme, and a credible path to at least TRL 5.

The opportunity is also attractive for SMEs that want to enter the defence market, because the call combines financial support with access to coaching and an experimentation environment embedded in a larger EU funded defence innovation project. The online information session is scheduled for 6 October 2026 at 10:00 CET.