European Defence fund possibilities
Current events:
The European Defence fund (EDF) is carried out according to the Regulation 2021697, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 29 April 2021, extending the duration of this cooperation initiative to the period from 2021 to 2027 and financing of EUR 7,953 billion.
The EDF envisages to carry out the development and approval of the Work Programme (WP) for each calendar year of operation, on the basis of which companies from the EU Member States can submit applications for cross-border cooperation industrial projects to the European Commission for evaluation. The Member States indicatively agree about the EDF's multi-year perspective that includes the possible project themes for the years to come.
The information about EDF news published by the European Commission can be accessed here: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-defence-industry/europea…
The deadline for the submission of applications for new projects by industry and research bodies in the framework of the EDF Work Programme for 2022 has been set by the European Commission until 24 November 2022.
We call on the Latvian company and the researchers to participate in the annual EDF Information Day and Networking event organised by the European Commission. The event will take place in hybrid format on June 30 and July 1 (spot-on activities in Brussels, Belgium with video access facilities). This will be a good opportunity both to improve the understanding of the scope of EDF's WP and the requirements for the successful application of new projects and to identify potential partners. You can see information about registration opportunities for this event here: https://www.eu-defence-fund-info-days.eu/
The aims of the European Defence fund, in comparison to European Defence Industry Development Programme (EDIDP) and Preparatory Action for Defence Research - PADR) remain unchanged - to facilitate the overall development of the European defence industry, competitiveness and European strategic autonomy. It is envisaged that finances for the development of the innovative defence products will be facilitated by the cross-border industry cooperation as well as by introducing researchers to the development of the defence industry.
The Ministry of Defence notes that the initiatives to support small and medium-sized enterprises as innovation engines is particularly important for Latvia as it allows to balance out competitiveness in the European market and involve supply chains, which, in combination with the above-mentioned cross-border cooperation, opens up the possibility for these companies to participate in the development of European defence industry products.
The financing is set for the introduction of new, innovative products and technologies as well as for the improvement of the current products and technologies. The EDF is specifically focused on revolutionary innovation, with up to 8% of funding going to revolutionary technologies and innovative equipment.
The EDF Regulation provides for 100% co-financing of research projects from the EDF budget. In turn, the maximum possible EU co-financing for development project testing, qualification and certification activities has been slightly reduced to 80% compared to the EDIDDP.
Contact information:
In case of questions regarding the EDF as well as to acquire additional information about a specific defence industry product that could potentially submitted for the EDF financing programme, please contact Logistics and Defence Investments Policy Department by writing an email to: edf@mod.gov.lv
Information on EDF's network of national contact points in the Member States can be found here: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-defence-industry/network…