European Defence Fund

About this programme

Complementing and amplifying Member States’ efforts, the Fund promotes cooperation among companies and research actors of all sizes and geographic origin in the Union, in research and development of state-of-the-art and interoperable defence technology and equipment. The Fund supports competitive and collaborative projects throughout the entire cycle of research and development for a bigger impact on the European defence capability and industrial landscape.

It strongly encourages participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in collaborative projects and fosters breakthrough innovative solutions.

The EDF was preceded by two test programmes with limited duration and budget – the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) and the European Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP).

The European Defence Fund (EDF)

Discover the EDF by watching the video (EN/DE/FR)

EDF Budget

A budget of close to €8 billion for 2021-2027 is dedicated to the European Defence Fund. €2.7 billion to fund collaborative defence research and €5.3 billion euros to fund collaborative capability development projects complementing national contributions.

For info on how to become active, read how to get started with EDF.

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Your NCP contact for this programme

Image of Mark Antonissen

Mark Antonissen

mark.antonissen@vlaio.be

+32 2 432 43 05

Your NFP contact for this programme

Find the contact info on the site of FOD economy

The National Contact Points (NCPs) provide support, guidance, and practical information to potential applicants, helping them navigate funding opportunities and application processes.

The National Focal Point (NFP) members represent their country in decision-making about the work programmes, evaluate implementation, and provide strategic input on priorities and calls.

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Infosheets contain edited content on aspects related to this programme. They are reviewed at least yearly.

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Testimonial

image of ERC grants for UGent professor Lieven Eeckhout

ERC grants for UGent professor Lieven Eeckhout

Professor Lieven Eeckhout’s main research interests include computer architecture and the hardware/software interface with a specific emphasis on performance evaluation and modeling, and dynamic resource management.

Professor Eeckhout is the recipient of a European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant, Advanced grant and three Proof of Concept grants. Two of his former PhD students founded in 2013 CoScale, a spin-off in data center monitoring, which was acquired by New Relic.