The European Commission has adopted an annual work program to support the EU defense industry

On 30 June 2021 the European Commission adopted the annual work program of the European Defense Fund (EDF), which will help increase the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the European Union's defense industry. Under this program, 23 calls will be opened in support of cooperative defense research and development projects, capability development and standardization. The European Union will provide € 1.2 billion to support these projects, with around € 700 million earmarked for the preparation of large-scale and complex defense platforms and systems (next generation fighter systems, ground vehicles fleet etc.), around € 100 million to support critical technologies (artificial intelligence, cloud for military operations, etc.). Part of the budget is also earmarked to support cooperation with other civilian EU policies and programs, as well as to support innovation and disruptive technologies developed by SMEs and start-ups.

In addition, another 26 new projects have been selected to be funded under the European Defence Industry Development Program (EDIDP), their aim is to focus on development of surveillance capacities, resilience and high-end capabilities.

More information can be found in the European Commission´s Press Release.