The European Defence Fund is the Commission's key initiative to support the collaborative research and the development of defence capabilities with the EU budget.

In the period 2021 - 2027, the Fund will financially support consortia of companies from different Member States that undertake cooperative defence research and development of defence products and technologies. The Fund also includes mechanisms to stimulate the opening of supply chains. The Fund promotes cooperation between companies and other actors in the research and development of state-of-the-art, interoperable defence technologies and equipment. The Fund supports competitive and collaborative projects throughout the research and development cycle for greater impact on the European defence capability and industrial landscape. It strongly encourages the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in collaborative projects and promotes breakthrough innovative solutions.

The financial envelope for the period 2021 - 2027 is 7.95 billion (current prices).

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

European Defence Fund Work Programme 2025 published

The European Commission adopted the European Defence Fund (EDF) Work Programme 2025.

The work programme defines the actions to be financed by the Fund in 2025 and has a total budget of EUR 1,455,482,382.

The work programme calls are grouped into 16 thematic categories of actions:

1. Defence medical response, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN), Biotech and human factors
2. Information superiority
3. Advanced passive and active sensors
4. Cyber
5. Space
6. Digital transformation
7. Energy resilience and environmental transition
8. Materials and components
9. Air combat
10. Air and missile defence
11. Ground combat
12. Force protection and mobility
13. Naval combat
14. Underwater warfare
15. Simulation and training
16. Disruptive technologies.

There are also two topics independent of the action categories that focus on SMEs.

Attached you will find the fact sheet prepared by the Brussels Delegation and the official 2025 work programme.