The European Commission, following the evaluation of applications for funding in 2025 within the framework of the European Defense Fund, has decided to invest €1.07 billion in 57 new projects, in which Ukrainian companies will also participate. This was reported by the press service of the European Commission, reports Rubrika. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
As reported by the European Commission, “the investments will support the goals set out in the Roadmap for Defense Readiness to 2030 and will provide the necessary funding for the four main defense flagship projects of the EU.”
“The investments will support the objectives set out in the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 and provide the necessary funding for four key EU defence flagship projects: the European Counter-Drone Initiative, Eastern Flank Surveillance, European Air Shield and European Space Shield,” the EC said.
The 57 selected projects cover a wide range of critical areas, including:
artificial intelligence,
cyber defence,
unmanned technologies,
counter-drone systems.
Of the total funding:
€675 million will be allocated to 32 defence capability development projects,
€332 million to 25 research initiatives.
More than 15 projects will directly support the four EU defence readiness flagship programmes. At the same time, it is emphasized that all these initiatives will receive an additional effect from cross-sectoral projects focused on the development of sensor technologies, digital transformation and cyber solutions.
The European Union pays special attention to cooperation with Ukraine. Interaction with the Ukrainian defense industry is expanding with the support of the EU Defense Innovation Office in Kyiv. This partnership aims to further integrate Ukraine into the European defense industrial base.
Among the key joint initiatives is the STRATUS project, which involves the creation of an artificial intelligence-based cyber defense system for drone swarms.
In addition, several projects focused on the mass production of drone ammunition provide for separate “sub-competitions” for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Within the framework of these programs, companies will be able to receive up to 60 thousand euros each for the implementation of innovative solutions, which should help new players enter the defense market.
The European Commission stressed that Ukrainian business entities can also apply for participation in such initiatives.
In total, 634 organizations from 26 EU Member States and Norway are participating in the selected projects. The share of small and medium-sized businesses is more than 38% of the total number of participants, while they account for more than 21% of all funding.
After the selection is completed, the European Commission will begin preparing grant agreements with consortia. It is expected that the signing of the relevant documents will take place by the end of the year.
It is noted that the European Defence Fund remains the key EU instrument for supporting cooperation in the field of defence research and development. Its budget for the period 2021-2027 is 7.3 billion euros. The Fund promotes interaction between companies and research institutions in the European Union and Norway, and also stimulates the transformation and expansion of the EU defence ecosystem. The EU Defence Innovation Scheme is at the heart of these processes.
The fifth round of competitions within the fund demonstrated record activity: 410 proposals were submitted, which is 37% more than in the previous year.
