New work programme for EDF has been adopted by European Commission

This WP covers 31 call topics, organised into seven thematic calls for proposals, three non-thematic calls, one targeted action addressing threats posed by hypersonic glide vehicles, and two actions supporting the EU Alliance for defence medical counter measures. A brief overview of the calls can be found here.

Agreed critical defence capability priorities remain central to the programme. Half of the overall budget is reserved for collaborative R&D on major capability areas, including work on an EU endo-atmospheric interceptor, a main battle tank, a multiple rocket launcher, and a semi-autonomous vessel. A further quarter of the budget is dedicated to critical technologies and capabilities in forward-looking areas such as quantum-secured networks, electronic warfare, multi-domain operations cloud solutions, and high-performance energy systems. The remaining quarter will support the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), which promotes innovation and disruptive technologies for defence applications through targeted measures. This includes around €60 million for disruptive technologies and a further €60 million for non-thematic calls aimed at SMEs.

The EDF contributes to reducing fragmentation in European defence investment, while strengthening industrial competitiveness and promoting interoperability across Europe. Since the EDF Regulation entered into force in May 2021, the Commission has committed nearly €6.5 billion in total, making it one of the world’s leading investors in defence R&D.

Thematic categories of actions:

1. Defence medical response, CBRN, biotech & human factors (MCBRN) – Covers the Defence Medical Countermeasures Alliance (via specific grant agreements under an existing FPA) and a topic on CBRN decontamination, aiming at simpler, safer, more reliable approaches (incl. nanosorbents) for decontaminating large military equipment.
2. Information Superiority (C4ISR) – This category of actions will not be addressed under this annual work programme.  
3. Advanced passive & active sensors (SENS) – Focuses on a multidomain radar demonstrator for challenging targets (incl. hypersonic dynamics) and anti-UAV needs, plus a development topic for an enhanced cognitive EW system with intelligent signal analysis.
4. Cyber (CYBER) – Aims at quantum-secured tactical networks, targeting a future secure tactical communication capability leveraging quantum security approaches.  
5. Space (SPACE) – Targets integration of Galileo PRS receivers on weapon systems and NAVWAR operational centres in military C2, to improve robustness/resilience of positioning & timing in operations.  
6. Digital transformation (DIGIT) – Includes AI-enabled tactical situational awareness using swarms (participation in, and organisation of, a technological challenge) plus military multi-domain operations cloud services.  
7. Energy resilience & environmental transition (ENERENV) – Covers a new turbofan engine, high-performance energy systems, and an unmanned platform for ammunition waste collection & disposal.  
8. Materials & components (MATCOMP) – Develops smart/multifunctional textiles integrated into uniforms/soldier systems (monitoring, localisation, protection), with an objective to create individual camouflage solutions against drone surveillance (static and dynamic).  
9. Air combat (AIR) – Covers autonomous/automatic air-to-air refuelling, self-protection systems with modular integration and coordinated countermeasures, and smart technologies/architectures (incl. proofs of concept and prototypes) for next-generation integrated modular avionics in a “defence air cloud” context.  
10. Air & missile defence (AIRDEF) – Includes work to counter hypersonic glide vehicles by building/testing/flying an HGV demonstrator to collect signatures/kinematic data for counter-system requirements, and a major development line to mature key technologies for an endo-atmospheric interceptor (up to TRL 6).  
11. Ground combat (GROUND) – Develops a multiple rocket launcher (range/precision, interoperability, cost-effectiveness in high-intensity and GNSS-contested scenarios) and future main battle tank platform systems (protection, mobility, firepower, C2, reduced crew potential, logistics sustainability/affordability).  
12. Force protection & mobility (PROTMOB) – Addresses a future multirole light aircraft and a secure digital military mobility system (as the development topic under this area).  
13. Naval combat (NAVAL) – Focuses on enhanced medium-size semi-autonomous surface vessels, building on earlier work to mature concepts/designs and autonomy-related elements.  
14. Underwater warfare (UWW) – Includes modelling/validation for predicting flow-related underwater noise and a layered approach to critical seabed infrastructure protection.  
15. Simulation & training (SIMTRAIN) – Assesses feasibility of an AI framework supported by modelling & simulation to enable war games/combat simulations, scenario/benchmark databases, doctrinal models, and improved learning support for planning/execution.  
16. Disruptive technologies (DIS) – Covers new over-the-horizon sensing (toward an EU concept for a cognitive/scalable HF OTH sensor network with data sharing) plus non-thematic disruptive-tech actions requiring clear disruptive impact and fast time-to-market.

Other actions:  

• Non-thematic SME / SME+Research Org calls (SMERO/SME) – Lump-sum, non-thematic actions for innovative defence technologies/solutions/products (incl. add-ons adapting civil solutions for defence), with eligibility and per-proposal caps defined in the WP.  
• Outreach/IT/studies, external expertise & audits, business coaching and a business accelerator for SMEs, an InvestEU-linked defence equity facility, and an EDF hackathon.

EDA report Highlights:

• NATO expectations are shifting to a much higher target: The report explicitly notes a change in the NATO expectations framework. It states that at the NATO Summit in The Hague (June 2025), Allies agreed on a new benchmark of 5% of GDP per year by 2035, structured as at least 3.5% for “core defence” (as defined by NATO defence expenditure) plus up to 1.5% for broader security-related spending. It also makes clear that moving European countries from around 2% of GDP toward 3.5% would represent a major additional financial step change, not an incremental adjustment. The report quantifies this as a very large extra funding requirement at European level, on top of the already rising defence budgets.
• EDA stresses efficiency and cooperation, warning that fragmentation can absorb the gains: The report strongly pushes the message that the current surge in defence spending is an opportunity, but that the impact will be limited without greater coordination, standardisation, and collaborative procurement. It warns that Europe’s defence landscape remains structurally fragmented, which creates duplication and inefficiencies across capabilities and industrial choices. It links fragmentation to practical cost drivers: more equipment variants, harder interoperability, more complex logistics, training and maintenance burdens, and weaker economies of scale, all of which can push unit costs up and reduce operational effectiveness.  

The report highlights accelerating defence R&D, which increased by 20% in 2024 to €13 billion, with 2025 spending expected to rise further to as much as €17 billion. Within that total, Research and Technology (R&T), a subset of R&D, climbed to €5 billion in 2024 (up 27% compared to 2023) and is projected to reach €6 billion in 2025. At the same time, EDA notes that international competitors still outspend the EU on defence R&D, and that the EU share of total defence spending devoted to these efforts remains comparatively low in a global context.

How does the Czech Republic rank in terms of investment in the defense industry (EDA Defense Data 2024–2025)?  

Czechia crosses the 2% threshold in 2024. In the report’s country chart, Czechia rises from ~1.37% of GDP (2023) to ~2.10% of GDP (2024), placing it among the 13 Member States at ≥2% of GDP in 2024. (Values estimated directly from Figure 2) Compared with the EU average of 1.9% of GDP in 2024, Czechia is above the EU average in 2024 spending effort.