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The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) is a €1.5 billion EU initiative designed to strengthen Europe’s defence industrial base, increase production capacity, and improve coordination among Member States. It responds to heightened security threats—especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and aims to make Europe more self-reliant, interoperable, and resilient in defence.

AGILE is a pilot instrument set to accelerate the development and testing of disruptive defence innovations and their market uptake, such as artificial intelligence, quantum or drones, focusing on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups and scale-ups. AGILE is designed for the ‘New Defence‘ players who move at high speed.

For Europe’s most ambitious startups and SMEs, the EIC Accelerator remains one of the few instruments that combines significant public funding with long-term growth ambition. In 2026, the programme is no longer seen only as support for innovation development. It is increasingly positioned as a strategic mechanism for companies that can bring breakthrough technologies to market, strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and scale in areas of high strategic value.

Calls available under Cluster 3, covering challenges arising from persistent security threats, including cybercrime, as well as natural and man-made disasters. The "Civil Security for Society" program aims to effectively protect society, critical infrastructure, cultural assets, and our living environment from threats such as crime, terrorism, natural disasters, and other dangers. A key element of this is the involvement and targeted support of emergency services and decision-makers in the prevention, preparation, and management of crises and threat situations.

The European Commission has launched the HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-02: Twinning call, aimed at research organisations and higher education institutions from Widening countries (including the Czech Republic) that seek to strengthen their international cooperation, research excellence, and institutional capacities.

The European Commission adopted the European Defence Fund’s (EDF) Annual Work Programme (WP) for 2026, allocating €1 billion to collaborative defence research and development (R&D).

The Health sector represents a key engine of research and innovation (R&D), as it connects cutting-edge scientific research with direct impacts on quality of life, societal resilience, and economic competitiveness. Read more about how European Union prioritizes health sector in its financial support programmes.

The EIC Accelerator remains Europe’s most competitive funding instrument for breakthrough innovation and deep-tech scale-ups. In the 2026–2027 period, it is undergoing a shift — from a primarily grant-driven programme to a strategic investment instrument focused on scalability, resilience and long-term impact.

Science, research and innovation will be financed through two main mechanisms: the Horizon Europe programme, or rather its successor — the 10th Framework Programme (FP10) — and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF).

The EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy presents a comprehensive plan to transform Europe into a global powerhouse for innovative startups and scaleups.

Within Horizon Europe, the Widening participation and spreading excellence actions are reshaping how Europe develops and shares its research potential.

The European Commission continues its strategic support for the development of sustainable transport through Destination 6: Safe, Resilient and Smart Mobility Services for People and Goods.

City-to-City Exchanges is a key instrument of the European Urban Initiative (EUI), aimed at fostering international cooperation among cities across EU Member States.

In the context of growing geopolitical instability, climate threats, and digital risks, the European Union is taking a systemic and strategic approach to civil security.