EU Funding for Defence & Security
Advancing Europe's Security, Resilience, and Technological Sovereignty
Defence and security research and innovation are essential for protecting Europe’s citizens, critical infrastructures, strategic interests, and technological leadership. As geopolitical challenges evolve and new threats emerge, the European Union continues to invest heavily in thedevelopment of advanced technologies, resilient systems, cybersecurity capabilities, dual-use innovations, and next-generation defence solutions. Key funding instruments include the European Defence Fund (EDF), Horizon Europe Cluster 3 – Civil Security for Society, and complementary programmes supporting cybersecurity, resilience, and critical infrastructure protection. The EDF allocates €1 billion annually(2025–2026), with €4 billion invested since 2021 across 225 collaborative defence projects. European funding programmes provide significant opportunities for defence companies, SMEs, research organisations, universities, public authorities, and international consortia to developinnovative technologies, strengthen operational capabilities, and contribute to Europe’s long-term security and resilience objectives.
At EFMC, we support organisations throughout the entire funding lifecycle—from identifying suitable funding opportunities and building strong international partnerships across EU Member States and eligible associated countries to proposal development, project implementation, financial management, and audit support.
What Makes Defence & Security Funding Different?
Defence and security funding programmes differ significantly from traditional research and innovation schemes. Success requires not only technical excellence but also a clear understanding of strategic priorities, capability needs, European capability priorities, strategic autonomy objectives, and operational impact.
Strategic Relevance
Successful projects must demonstrate a direct contribution to European defence, security, resilience, or technological sovereignty objectives. Evaluators assess not only the quality of the proposed technology but also its relevance to identified capability gaps and its alignment with EU defence capability priorities and strategic objectives.
Strong International Partnerships
Most defence and security calls require multidisciplinary and multinational consortia involving industry, SMEs, research organisations, public authorities, end-users, and technology developers. Building the right consortium is often a critical success factor. Certain programmes, such as the European Defence Fund, impose specific eligibility conditions regarding consortium composition and the participation of entities subject to non-EU control.
Impact and Exploitation
Projects are expected to deliver tangible outcomes that can be adopted, deployed, commercialised, or integrated into operational environments. Strong exploitation strategies and clear pathways to impact are therefore essential. For many defence programmes, particularemphasis is placed on operational uptake and the involvement of end-users.
Technology Readiness and Capability Development
Many calls focus on advancing technologies towards demonstration, validation, and deployment. Applicants must clearly describe technology maturity, development pathways, validation activities, and expected progression in Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Many projects targetmedium- to high-TRL maturity and capability demonstration, requiring clear plans for technology transition and deployment.
Security, Compliance and Intellectual Property
Projects frequently involve sensitive technologies, cybersecurity requirements, export control considerations, intellectual property management, and security-related compliance obligations. These aspects, including information security, intellectual property rights, export control requirements, and restrictions related to non-EU control of participating entities, must be addressed from the earliest stages of proposal development.
Key funding opportunities include:
- European Defence Fund (EDF): Supports collaborative research and development of defence technologies and capabilities across domains such as air, land, naval, cyber, space, and advanced materials.
- Horizon Europe – Cluster 3 Civil Security for Society: Funds projects on cybersecurity, disaster resilience, border management, crime prevention, and protection of critical infrastructures.
- NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS): Supports collaborative research and innovation addressing defence and security challenges among NATO partners.
- Digital Europe Programme: Relevant for cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital resilience, and advanced digital capabilities.
- European Innovation Council (EIC): Supports dual-use and deep-tech innovations with strong commercial and strategic potential.
- InvestEU Programme: Provides investment support for strategic technologies, industrial resilience, and security-related innovation.
- Connecting Europe Facility (CEF): Supports secure digital infrastructure, cross-border connectivity, and critical infrastructure resilience.
- EU Missions: Relevant where climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and civil protection contribute to Mission objectives.
At EFMC, we help defence companies, SMEs, research organisations, public authorities, and security-focused consortia identify the most suitable funding opportunities and develop highly competitive proposals across the full spectrum of European defence and security programmes.