EU allocates over €1 billion to defence innovation, technology development

The European Commission has unveiled its fifth annual Work Programme for the European Defence Fund (EDF), with a budget exceeding €1 billion earmarked for collaborative defence research and development.

The 2025 EDF Work Programme unlocks substantial additional funding, focusing on the advancement of critical defence technologies and capabilities, Caliber.Az reports, referencing European Commission.

Among the allocations are approximately €100 million for projects in key areas such as ground combat, space, air and naval combat, as well as energy resilience and environmental transition.

The new programme aligns with the EU’s defence priorities, as agreed by Member States and detailed in the Strategic Compass. It includes nine competitive calls for proposals, covering 31 distinct topics.

The calls aim to foster advancements in various enabling technologies, including autonomous triage and evacuation of injured personnel, multifunctional information distribution systems, human-AI interaction, chiplets for defence applications, soldier systems, and deep-water technologies.

Additionally, the programme dedicates around €100 million to address future challenges in defence, particularly in ground combat, space, air combat, and energy resilience.

Over €40 million is also allocated to bolster research in cyber defence, naval combat, underwater warfare, simulation and training, as well as the development of advanced passive and active sensors, both for current and future operational needs.

By Aghakazim Guliyev