Deadline: 24-Nov-22
The European Commission (EC) is pleased to launch a call for proposals to encourage the driving role of innovative SMEs in bringing forward innovation defence research, possibly by adapting technologies from civil applications or addressing hybrid warfare.
The proposals must address innovative technologies and solutions for defence, including those that can improve readiness, deployability, reliability, safety and sustainability of forces in defence tasks and missions, for example in terms of operations, equipment, infrastructure, energy solutions, surveillance systems or digital solutions.
Successful SME beneficiaries may be offered Business Coaching, to reduce the time of bringing the results to the next phase, e.g., development.
Types of Activities
The following types of activities are eligible for this topic:
- Activities that aim to create, underpin and improve knowledge, products and technologies, including disruptive technologies, which can achieve significant effects in the area of defence (generating knowledge)
- Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, including secured production and exchange of data, to master critical defence technologies, to strengthen the security of supply or to enable the effective exploitation of results for defence products and technologies (integrating knowledge)
- Studies, such as feasibility studies to explore the feasibility of new or upgraded products, technologies, processes, services and solutions
- Design of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology as well as the definition of the technical specifications on which such design has been developed, including partial tests for risk reduction in an industrial or representative environment
- System prototyping of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology
- Testing of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology
- Qualification of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology
- Certification of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology
- Development of technologies or assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies
Funding Information
The available call budget is EUR 17 600 000.
Expected Impact
- Innovative and cost-effective solutions for defence applications.
- Ground-breaking or novel concepts and approaches, new promising future technological improvements or the application of technologies or concepts previously not applied in the defence sector.
- Enhanced innovation capacity across Europe by involvement of SMEs that can make a difference in the future.
- Potential for future market creation for SMEs, especially by facilitating access of SMEs to defence markets and supply chains.
- Contribution to the development of European research and technology ecosystems and to the strengthening of European defence supply chains.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- non-EU countries
- have their executive management structure established in eligible countries
- must not be subject to control by a non-associated third country or nonassociated third-country entity
- be small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the meaning of EU Recommendation 2003/3617 or research organisations (i.e. non-profit organisations which carry out research and/or technological development as their main objective)
- the coordinator must be an SME.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3nqkR0N