Unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems

EDF-EDIP-USI is the second call under the European Defence Industry Programme Ukraine Support Instrument for Industrial Reinforcement Actions to scale production of unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems through EU–Ukraine cooperation. The total call budget is €80,000,000 with a maximum EU contribution of €10,000,000 per project and a minimum eligible project size of €2,000,000, and an optional physical and cyber protection work package may receive up to €200,000 per funded project. The call opens 17 June 2026 and accepts single-stage proposals via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal until 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time; actions must not have started before 5 March 2024 and must be completed by 31 December 2033. Legal entities from EU Member States and Ukraine may apply in consortia of up to 15 partners and proposals must demonstrate industrial ramp-up capacity, measurable KPIs and comprehensive risk management.

Unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems — EDF USI IRA call

What it funds

Scope and objectives

Industrial reinforcement actions to rapidly scale production capacity and reduce lead times for unmanned systems (UxS), EW-resilient UxS variants, UxS interceptors and counter-UxS systems, including related subcomponents, cross-border EU-UA joint production lines, Manufacturing as a Service, and dual-use heavy industry conversion for surge. Optional work package funding is available to strengthen physical and cyber protection of production sites.

Programme and deadline:European Defence Fund under the Ukraine Support Instrument (USI) — planned opening 17 June 2026; submission deadline 16 February 2027 17:00 Brussels time Topic page ¹

1. 1Eligible applicants: entities from EU Member States and Ukraine (participation rules and detailed eligible countries in the call document).
2. 2Action type: EDF Lump Sum Grants implementing Industrial Reinforcement Actions (IRA) under Regulation (EU) 2025/2643.
3. 3Project duration: indicative 3 to 5 years, must not start before 5 March 2024 and must finish by 31 December 2033.
4. 4Consortium limits: maximum 15 legal entities per consortium.
5. 5Minimum eligible project size: €2,000,000.

Funding aims to achieve measurable KPIs such as units/month, time-to-rate, lead-time reduction, line availability, qualified output delivered in Ukraine, MaaS throughput and workforce trained. Proposals must justify product criticality, urgency and include a risk-management approach for industrial ramp-up in Ukraine.

Funding rate and detailed eligibility, admissibility, evaluation and legal/financial provisions are defined in the call document and annexes (application templates and Model Grant Agreement to be published on the Funding & Tenders Portal).

Footnotes

1. 1Official call page and full details: Topic page. For questions contact DEFIS-EDIP-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu.

Opportunity: Unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems (EDF-EDIP-USI-2027-LS-IRA-CUXS)

Call, deadlines and administrative details

Programme: European Defence Fund (EDF) via the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) — Ukraine Support Instrument (USI) component. Call title: 2nd call for proposals for industrial reinforcement actions under the Ukraine Support Instrument. Topic identifier: EDF-EDIP-USI. Type of action: EDF Lump Sum Grants (EDF-LS). Type of Model Grant Agreement: EDF Lump Sum Grant [EDF-AG-LS]. Planned opening date: 17 June 2026. Deadline (final submission): 16 February 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage. Actions must not have started before 5 March 2024 and must be completed no later than 31 December 2033.

Primary contact for clarifications:DEFIS-EDIP-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu

Scope, objectives and expected impact

Objective: The topic aims to reinforce readiness and a sovereign component base for unmanned systems (UxS) and counter-unmanned systems by enabling rapid industrial reinforcement of production lines in EU Member States and Ukraine. Actions must be implemented as Industrial Reinforcement Actions (IRA) under the USI and in line with Regulation (EU) 2025/2643.

Scope and targeted products: Proposals must target one or more of the following defence product and production capacity areas: (swarming) unmanned systems including FPV variants, modular payload configurations, relay/repeater variants, AI/autonomy-enabled UxS integration where relevant; (swarming) UxS interceptor variants including intercept solutions to protect critical nodes and logistics routes; EW-resilient UxS variants (including fibre-optic controlled UxS and GNSS-/RF-denied operational profiles); counter-UxSs and EW-resilient supporting systems including detection/characterisation, jamming/spoofing, spectrum management for friendly UxS operations, terminal navigation, optronic and radar-guided systems.

Expected industrial set-ups and activities: Proposals should support cross-border EU–UA production arrangements such as joint production lines, reinforcement of specific production and enablement capacity (integration, validation and testing of control/navigation approaches, sensing and effector integration, multi-sensor fusion, assembly and test capacity), scale-up of Ukrainian systems and ready-to-use production lines, Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) for rapid small-batch / attritable UxS output, and dual-use heavy industry conversion options for surge (assembly/integration, test, packaging and supporting infrastructure).

Optional supporting Work Package: Applicants may include an optional dedicated Work Package implementing a supporting action (Article 13(d) of Regulation (EU) 2025/2643) to reinforce the physical and cyber protection of the targeted production capacity (including protection against UxS/drone-enabled threats). Activities under this WP can include threat assessment, procurement/installation/integration of protection solutions, connection to national or EU security systems, and cyber protection of production networks (monitoring, hardening, secure access) and may include seeking European Union Cybersecurity Certification (EUCC) for products used.

Expected results and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Expected results: Projects must demonstrate and measure contributions via KPIs. Expected results include a demonstrable and sustainable increase in production capacity in Ukraine for the targeted (counter-)UxS production lines; measurable reduction of production lead time from order/decision to delivery in Ukraine; improved timeliness and reliability of defence product supply in Ukraine; effective cross-border cooperation enabling ramp-up, integration, qualification and sustainment; strengthened Ukrainian industrial base and operationalised MaaS and dual-use conversion pathways where applicable.

Indicative KPIs applicants should define, baseline and track: production output (units/month), time-to-rate, lead-time reduction, line availability/uptime, qualified output delivered in Ukraine, MaaS throughput, surge conversion readiness indicators, workforce trained, and risk-related indicators demonstrating supply robustness and maintainability readiness. Proposals should also include risk metrics addressing safety, supply-chain and obsolescence, industrialisation/integration, maintainability and operational constraints, and how risks will be mitigated to ensure timely availability and supply.

Budget, funding rules and financial sizing

Total indicative budget for this topic: €80,000,000 (Commission is considering this envelope and may reallocate between calls depending on demand and quality of proposals). Maximum EU contribution per funded project: €10,000,000. Minimum eligible action size: €2,000,000. The Commission may specifically support optional physical and cyber protection Work Packages with up to €200,000 additional EU contribution per funded project (i.e., a dedicated cap for that WP).

Funding modality: Lump sum grants under EDF-LS. Under EDIP and IRA rules, for USI-IRA calls the funding rate may be up to 100% of eligible costs (USI calls offer higher funding rates compared with IRA calls for Member States/Norway). For IRA actions under EDIP more generally, lump sum grants can cover up to 35% of eligible costs and up to 50% under specified conditions for Member States/Norway calls; specific applicable funding rate and lump sum amounts will be set out in the Call Document and Model Grant Agreement for this topic.

Eligibility, applicants and consortium

Eligible applicant types: Legal entities established in eligible countries (see Eligible countries below) including defence industry companies (SMEs, mid-caps, large enterprises), manufacturing companies, system integrators, component suppliers, research organisations, universities, testing and certification bodies, public bodies, SEAPs (Structures for European Armament Programme) where relevant, and other organisations that can implement industrial reinforcement activities. Applicants must be legal entities (natural persons/individuals are not the target beneficiaries).

Consortium requirement and size: The call is designed for actions involving industrial and cross-border cooperation and therefore expects consortium-based proposals. The number of legal entities forming part of the consortium must not exceed 15 (Article 34(3)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2025/2643). Proposals should present sufficient industrial and operational capacity across partners to implement production ramp-up, integration, qualification, testing and sustainment activities in Ukraine and across the EU where relevant.

Eligible countries and geographic scope:This USI-IRA call is aimed at entities established in EU Member States and Ukraine. The broader EDIP programme references participation from Norway in other IRA calls, but eligibility for this specific USI-IRA topic is Member States and Ukraine as described in the call documentation. Exact lists and eligibility rules (including associated countries and any special conditions) are described in section 6 of the Call Document. Official topic page ¹

Other eligibility and administrative conditions: Actions must be Industrial Reinforcement Actions implemented in line with Regulation (EU) 2025/2643. Actions must not have started prior to 5 March 2024 and must not have been completed before signature of the Grant Agreement. Indicative action duration is three to five years; in any event actions must finish by 31 December 2033. Proposal page limits, layout and Part B instructions are provided in the Application Form and Part B available in the Submission System and described in section 5 of the Call Document.

Evaluation, submission and award

Submission method and timetable: Single-stage open call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal submission system. The submission system is planned to open on the published opening date (17 June 2026). Refer to the Online Manual and Portal FAQ for submission procedures and technical guidance.

Evaluation process and award criteria: The submission, evaluation and award processes are described in section 8 and section 9 of the Call Document and follow standard EU Grants procedures for EDF Lump Sum Grants. Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are set out in the Call Document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and signature of the Grant Agreement is described in section 4 of the Call Document. Applicants should consult the Call Document and the Online Manual for details on scoring, thresholds, and administrative compliance.

Number of evaluation stages: Single-stage submission; evaluation and award are carried out following the single-stage evaluation steps described in the Call Document. There is typically one main evaluation stage after submission; clarifications and negotiations may occur during the award preparation phase as per the Call Document and Model Grant Agreement provisions.

Success rates: The call documentation does not publish a fixed success rate. Success will depend on the number and quality of proposals, fit to the topic priorities, and compliance with eligibility and evaluation thresholds. Given the limited budget and the maximum EU contribution per project, competition is expected. The Commission may reallocate budget between calls depending on proposals received.

Co-funding, financial capacity and legal setup

Co-funding requirement: For USI-IRA calls the funding rate may reach up to 100% of eligible costs (i.e., no co-financing required) subject to the rules in the Call Document. For other IRA actions under EDIP the typical lump sum funding covers up to 35% of eligible costs and up to 50% in certain conditions; applicants must consult the Call Document for the precise applicable funding rate and conditions for increased funding rate. Financial and operational capacity checks and exclusion criteria apply as described in section 7 of the Call Document. Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment apply.

Legal and financial set-up of grants: The Model Grant Agreement (EDF-AG-LS) applicable to EDF Lump Sum Grants will govern grant award, reporting, milestones and payment. Legal and financial set-up details are described in section 10 of the Call Document and accompanying Model Grant Agreement and Annotated Model Grant Agreement documents available via the Portal.

Administrative and technical templates

Application forms and templates: Application Form Part A and Part B templates, and guidance for the Part B layout (proposal page limits and structure), will be available in the Submission System and in the Call Document. Applicants must follow the Proposal page limit and layout instructions (Part B) and the specific admissibility conditions described in section 5 of the Call Document. Model Grant Agreement templates and Annotated Model Grant Agreements are listed under Additional Documents on the Portal (e.g., EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement).

1. 1Application form structure: Part A administrative data (applicants, legal representatives, budget summary, consortium composition), Part B technical proposal (description of action, work packages, timeline, deliverables, KPIs, risk management, cross-border production plan, optional physical/cyber protection WP).
2. 2Required annexes: Proof of legal status, legal entity validation, documents supporting financial and operational capacity where applicable, letters of commitment/partnership agreements, technical specifications, risk management plans, production capacity plans and any national security clearance or export control documentation if required by partners or authorities.
3. 3Optional WP details: If including the optional physical and cyber protection WP, include technical specifications of protection measures, integration and acceptance testing plans, implementation timeline, and certification roadmap (EUCC, alignment with NIS2, ISO/IEC 27001, IEC 62443 where applicable).

Key applicant requirements and recommended preparation

Operational and technical expectations: Applicants must justify the criticality of the targeted product/subcomponents and the urgency of industrial reinforcement. Proposals must demonstrate industrial ramp-up feasibility (staffing, facilities, supply-chain robustness, obsolescence mitigation, maintainability), show how rapid upgrades will be enabled to respond to battlefield lessons, and detail testing, qualification and sustainment plans for output delivered in Ukraine. Cross-border cooperation mechanisms, roles and responsibilities for EU and UA partners must be clear.

Security and certification: Where the optional physical and cyber protection WP is included, proposals should specify site protection measures, cyber hardening and monitoring solutions, and the plan to obtain EUCC certification for products used, with alignment to NIS2 and relevant international standards (ISO/IEC 27001, IEC 62443). Proposals must consider compliance with national security, export control regimes and any other regulatory constraints relevant to defence production and transfer of technologies or products.

Explicitly mentioned countries and jurisdictions

• Ukraine
• EU Member States (general reference)
• Norway (mentioned in EDIP context for other IRA calls; check call-specific eligibility)

Project maturity and suitable applicants

Project stage: Actions are expected to address industrial reinforcement, scale-up, validation and production ramp-up (demonstration to scale-up/commercialisation of defence production lines). Suitable applicants include established industrial manufacturers, system integrators, mid-caps and large enterprises with manufacturing capability, consortia including SMEs and research organisations for integration and testing, and public or quasi-public bodies involved in defence industrial infrastructure. Proposals focusing only on early-stage research or concept-level activities are not aligned with the industrial reinforcement purpose.

Evaluation and award practicalities

Application type: Open single-stage call (applicants submit full proposals by the deadline via the Funding & Tenders Portal). Evaluation and award are conducted per the rules and award criteria in the Call Document. Applicants should allow time for legal entity validation, possible clarifications and the grant signature process; the indicative evaluation timeline is provided in the Call Document.

Number of stages: 1 (single-stage submission). Additional administrative checks or clarifications may occur during evaluation and award preparation but no separate two-stage technical proposal process is foreseen for this topic.

Summary — what is this opportunity about and who should apply?

This call finances Industrial Reinforcement Actions to rapidly increase and secure production capacity for unmanned systems, EW-resilient UxS variants and counter-UxS systems in Ukraine in cooperation with EU Member State industry. It is part of the EDIP Ukraine Support Instrument and offers lump sum EDF grants. The objective is operational: scale and secure production lines, reduce lead time, strengthen cross-border EU–UA industrial integration, and build surge and MaaS capacities. Projects should be industrial (scale-up, ramp-up, production and qualification), demonstrate credible KPIs and risk mitigation, and may include a dedicated WP on physical and cyber protection of production lines. Funding is significant but competitive: total topic envelope €80 million, maximum €10 million per project, minimum eligible action €2 million, optional protection WP capped at €200,000 EU contribution.

Who should apply: Consortia of legal entities from EU Member States and Ukraine including defence manufacturers, system integrators, component suppliers, testing and certification organisations, research/technology partners and public actors able to implement cross-border production ramp-up. Proposals must be industrially mature, able to deploy cross-border production lines or to scale Ukrainian production, and must present robust KPIs, a detailed industrialisation plan, supply-chain risk mitigation and, where applicable, security/cyber protection measures.

Next steps for applicants: Review the Call Document and Model Grant Agreement when published, prepare Part B in the Application Form following page limits and layout in the Submission System, secure consortium commitments and legal entity validation, develop clear production ramp-up, testing and qualification plans, define and baseline KPIs, and decide whether to include the optional physical/cyber protection Work Package. For specific questions, contact DEFIS-EDIP-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu and consult the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and call Q&A resources.

Footnotes

1. 1Official topic page and all call documents will be available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu. Applicants must consult the Call Document (section references cited above) for the definitive and binding rules, eligibility lists and evaluation criteria.

Unmanned Systems and Counter-Unmanned Systems Industrial Reinforcement Call

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is the second call for proposals for Industrial Reinforcement Actions under the Ukraine Support Instrument, part of the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP). The call aims to reinforce unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems production capacity in Ukraine and enable rapid industrial reinforcement for key defence product production lines through EU-Ukraine cooperation. ¹

Call Identifier:EDF-EDIP-USI

Programme:European Defence Fund (EDF) under the Ukraine Support Instrument (USI)

Type of Action:EDF Lump Sum Grants

Key Dates and Deadlines

Budget and Funding Parameters

Total Call Budget:€80,000,000 ²

Maximum EU Contribution per Project:€10,000,000

Minimum Project Size:€2,000,000

Optional Physical and Cyber Protection Work Package:Maximum EU contribution of €200,000 per funded project for dedicated work packages reinforcing physical and cyber protection of production capacity

Funding Rate:Up to 100 percent of eligible costs under the Ukraine Support Instrument, offering higher funding rates compared to standard IRA calls targeting Member States and Norway ³

Eligible Applicants and Consortium Requirements

Legal entities from EU Member States and Ukraine are eligible to apply. Applicants may form consortia to strengthen their proposals and leverage complementary expertise and capacities.

Maximum Consortium Size:The number of legal entities forming part of the consortium shall not exceed 15 as per Article 34(3)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2025/2643

Scope and Eligible Activities

Proposals must implement Industrial Reinforcement Actions targeting specific defence product and production capacities for unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems. Applicants must demonstrate the criticality of targeted defence products and justify the urgency of reinforcing their availability and security of supply.

Eligible Product Categories

• Swarming unmanned systems (UxS) including first-person-view (FPV) variants, modular payload configurations, relay/repeater variants, and AI-enabled or autonomy-enabled UxS integration
• Swarming UxS interceptor variants including intercept solutions to protect critical nodes and logistics routes
• Electronic warfare (EW)-resilient UxS variants including fibre-optic controlled UxS and GNSS or RF-denied operational profiles
• Counter-UxS and EW-resilient supporting systems including counter-UxS EW functions for detection and characterisation, jamming and spoofing, spectrum management, terminal navigation, optronic and radar-guided systems

Eligible Implementation Approaches

• Joint production lines between EU and Ukrainian entities
• Reinforcement of specific production capacity and enablement capacity including integration, validation and testing of alternative control and navigation approaches
• Scale-up of Ukrainian systems and ready-to-use production lines with rapid-cycle modular assembly and reconfiguration capacity
• Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) including rapid small-batch production, fast line changeover, and scalable assembly and test capacity
• Dual-use heavy industry conversion options for defence surge including surge assembly, integration, test, packaging and supporting infrastructure

Expected Results and Key Performance Indicators

Projects must deliver measurable results aligned with call objectives and evidence their contribution through dedicated KPIs defined in proposals. Expected results include demonstrable and sustainable increase in production capacity in Ukraine for targeted counter-UxS-related production lines, measurable reduction of production lead time from order or production decision to delivery, improved timely availability and supply of defence products in Ukraine with increased delivery reliability and readiness of production lines, effective cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and EU enabling production ramp-up and integration, and strengthened Ukrainian industrial base with operationalised MaaS and dual-use heavy industry conversion pathways for surge. ⁴

Proposals must define, baseline and track KPIs such as production output measured in units per month, time-to-rate, lead-time reduction, line availability and uptime, qualified output delivered in Ukraine, MaaS throughput, surge conversion readiness indicators, and workforce trained where relevant. Risk-related indicators must demonstrate supply robustness and maintainability readiness.

Project Duration and Timeline

Actions shall not have started before 5 March 2024 and shall not have been completed before the signature of the Grant Agreement. The action shall have an indicative duration of three to five years and in any event shall be completed no later than 31 December 2033.

Risk Management Requirements

Proposals must include a comprehensive risk-management approach commensurate with industrial ramp-up in Ukraine. This approach must address safety, supply-chain and obsolescence, industrialisation and integration, maintainability, and operational constraints. Proposals must explain how identified risks are mitigated to ensure timely availability and supply of defence products in Ukraine and include provisions allowing quick upgrade of targeted counter-UxS based on evolving lessons identified from the battlefield.

Optional Physical and Cyber Protection Work Package

Applicants may include an optional dedicated Work Package implementing a supporting action to reinforce the physical and cyber protection of the production capacity targeted by the action, including security against UxS and drone-enabled threats. The objective is to reduce the risk of disruption, sabotage or interference affecting production continuity, ramp-up and deliveries.

Activities linked to the physical and cyber protection work package may include expert threat assessment, procurement, installation and initial integration of proportionate solutions, and efforts to connect to national or European security systems for counter-UxS site protection measures and cyber protection measures of production-relevant networks and systems. This includes obtaining European Union Cybersecurity Certification (EUCC) schemes for products used in the action, acceptance testing and operational set-up necessary for effective deployment, working towards compliance with the NIS2 Directive where applicable, and alignment with standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and IEC 62443.

Strategic Context and Programme Framework

This call is part of the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), a €1.5 billion EU-wide initiative for 2025-2027 designed to strengthen and modernise Europe's defence industry, ramp-up production capacity, and ensure cutting-edge technology, resilience, and steady supply of military equipment. ⁵ The Ukraine Support Instrument, with a dedicated budget of €300 million, contributes to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of the Ukrainian Defence Technological and Industrial Base with a view to increasing its defence industrial readiness and its possible future integration into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base.

Industrial Reinforcement Actions (IRA) represent the largest component of EDIP with over €700 million of funding. The USI-IRA calls aim at reinforcing Ukrainian defence industrial production capacity, reducing production lead time, strengthening cross-border collaboration between Ukrainian and European companies, and integrating the Ukrainian defence industry further into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. USI-IRA calls offer a higher funding rate of up to 100 percent of eligible costs compared to IRA calls targeting Member States and Norway.

Application and Submission Process

Proposals must be submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The submission system will open on 17 June 2026 with a single-stage submission process. The deadline for submission is 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Detailed admissibility conditions, proposal page limits and layout requirements are described in the call document and Application Form available in the Submission System.

For questions specific to this call, applicants should contact DEFIS-EDIP-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu. An online Q&A webinar is foreseen for May 2026, with a recording to be shared afterwards. Applicants should consult the EU Funding and Tenders Portal FAQ for submission-related questions and contact the IT Helpdesk for technical aspects such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Detailed evaluation and award criteria, scoring methodologies and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement signature is described in section 4 of the call document. The Commission may decide to reallocate budget between calls depending on the number and quality of received proposals and the requested Union financial contributions.

Legal and Financial Framework

Grants will be awarded as EDF Lump Sum Grants under the EDF Lump Sum Grant Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The legal and financial set-up of grants is described in section 10 of the call document. Applicants must comply with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 and the Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment. The EU Grants Annotated Model Grant Agreement (AGA) provides detailed guidance on grant implementation.

Key Resources and Support

• Call document and Application Form templates available in the Submission System
• Model Grant Agreements (MGA) for reference
• EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
• Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
• EU Grants AGA - Annotated Model Grant Agreement
• Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual with step-by-step guidance
• Video tutorials on Industrial Reinforcement Actions and proposal preparation prepared by DG DEFIS
• Funding and Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement

Important Considerations for Applicants

Applicants should note that this is a highly specialised defence procurement call with stringent requirements for demonstrating criticality of defence products, urgency of reinforcement needs, and comprehensive risk management. The focus on Ukraine-EU cross-border cooperation and integration into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base is central to the call objectives. Proposals must clearly articulate how they contribute to Ukrainian defence industrial readiness while supporting broader European defence capabilities.

The optional physical and cyber protection work package represents an important opportunity to address security vulnerabilities in production facilities, particularly relevant given the ongoing security threats to Ukrainian infrastructure. Applicants with production capacity in Ukraine should carefully assess whether this optional component strengthens their overall proposal and risk mitigation strategy.

Given the lump sum grant mechanism, applicants must ensure accurate cost estimation and realistic budgeting. The maximum EU contribution of €10 million per project allows multiple proposals to be funded from the €80 million total budget, suggesting the Commission expects to support approximately 8 to 10 projects depending on proposal quality and scope.

Footnotes

1. 1The Ukraine Support Instrument is part of EDIP and contributes to recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of the Ukrainian Defence Technological and Industrial Base with a view to increasing its defence industrial readiness and possible future integration into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base through EU-Ukraine cooperation.
2. 2The €80 million budget for this call is part of the broader €300 million allocated to the Ukraine Support Instrument within EDIP's total €1.5 billion budget for 2025-2027.
3. 3USI-IRA calls offer higher funding rates of up to 100 percent of eligible costs compared to standard IRA calls targeting Member States and Norway, which provide up to 35 percent of eligible costs with potential increase to 50 percent under certain conditions.
4. 4Expected results emphasise demonstrable and sustainable increases in production capacity, measurable lead-time reductions, improved availability and supply of defence products, effective cross-border EU-UA cooperation, and strengthened Ukrainian industrial base with operationalised Manufacturing as a Service and dual-use heavy industry conversion pathways.
5. 5EDIP is the first integrated EU programme for strengthening the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and bridges the gap between emergency tools such as ASAP and EDIRPA and long-term defence objectives, complementing other instruments including the European Defence Fund and the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030.