Apply for Unmanned Systems Industrial Support Fund 2027

Deadline: 16-Feb-2027

The European Commission is seeking grant applications to strengthen EU–Ukraine cooperation and industrial capacity for unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems. The programme supports defence production readiness, production scaling, cross-border cooperation, Manufacturing as a Service, dual-use industrial conversion, and cyber and physical protection of production facilities.

The total programme budget is EUR 80,000,000, with a maximum EU contribution of EUR 10,000,000 per project and a minimum eligible project size of EUR 2,000,000. Eligible applicants include legal entities established in EU Member States or Ukraine, subject to security, control, location, and regulatory requirements.

Programme Overview

The European Commission grant programme supports industrial reinforcement actions for unmanned systems and counter-unmanned systems.

The programme aims to boost defence production readiness and strengthen cooperation between the European Union and Ukraine.

It focuses on increasing production capacity, improving delivery reliability, reducing production lead times, and supporting resilient defence industrial supply chains.

Main Objective

The main objective of the programme is to strengthen EU–Ukraine industrial cooperation for unmanned and counter-unmanned systems.

The programme aims to:

• Increase production capacity in Ukraine
• Strengthen EU–Ukraine defence industrial cooperation
• Improve production readiness and resilience
• Reduce production lead times
• Improve delivery reliability
• Support production ramp-up
• Enable integration, qualification, testing, and sustainment
• Strengthen the Ukrainian industrial base
• Support Manufacturing as a Service models
• Enable dual-use heavy industry conversion for surge capacity
• Improve cyber and physical protection of production facilities

Key Focus Areas

The programme covers industrial capacity, production scaling, and defence manufacturing resilience.

Key focus areas include:

• Unmanned systems
• Counter-unmanned systems
• EU–Ukraine industrial cooperation
• Defence production readiness
• Production capacity increase
• Production lead-time reduction
• Defence supply reliability
• Production line availability
• Manufacturing as a Service
• Dual-use heavy industry conversion
• Surge production capacity
• System integration
• Qualification and testing
• Sustainment and maintenance
• Supply chain robustness
• Cyber protection
• Physical protection of production facilities

What Are Unmanned and Counter-Unmanned Systems?

Unmanned systems are systems that operate without an onboard human operator.

They may include aerial, ground, maritime, or other remotely operated or autonomous platforms.

Counter-unmanned systems are technologies and systems designed to detect, track, disrupt, neutralise, or protect against unmanned systems.

In this call, the focus is on industrial capacity, production readiness, and cross-border manufacturing cooperation rather than operational deployment.

Supported System Areas

The programme supports reinforcement of production capacity for unmanned and counter-unmanned systems.

Supported system areas may include:

• Swarming unmanned systems
• FPV variants
• Modular payload configurations
• Relay and repeater variants
• AI-enabled systems
• Autonomy-enabled systems
• Interceptor variants
• Electronic warfare-resilient unmanned systems
• Fibre-optic controlled systems
• Counter-unmanned systems
• Detection systems
• Jamming systems
• Spoofing capabilities
• Spectrum management systems
• Optronic capabilities
• Radar-guided capabilities

Projects should focus on industrial reinforcement, scaling, integration, validation, testing, and production sustainability.

Industrial Reinforcement Actions

Industrial reinforcement actions are activities designed to increase production capacity and strengthen defence manufacturing readiness.

These actions may include:

• Production line ramp-up
• Expansion of manufacturing capacity
• Integration and validation processes
• System testing capacity
• Maintenance and sustainment capacity
• Assembly infrastructure
• Packaging infrastructure
• Supporting production infrastructure
• Supply chain strengthening
• Workforce training
• Production line protection measures

The aim is to support reliable, scalable, and resilient production output.

EU–Ukraine Joint Production Lines

The programme supports joint production lines between the European Union and Ukraine.

Joint production lines can help improve cooperation, speed up production, and support long-term industrial resilience.

Projects should demonstrate how EU and Ukrainian partners will work together on production ramp-up, integration, testing, qualification, and sustainment.

Manufacturing as a Service

Manufacturing as a Service refers to flexible production models that can respond quickly to changing production needs.

Under this programme, Manufacturing as a Service may support:

• Flexible small-batch production
• Fast production line changeovers
• Scalable assembly
• Scalable testing
• Production of attritable unmanned systems
• Rapid adjustment of manufacturing capacity
• Responsive industrial production models

This approach is intended to improve production agility and readiness.

Dual-Use Heavy Industry Conversion

The programme also supports dual-use heavy industry conversion pathways.

This means using or adapting industrial facilities that may serve both civilian and defence-related production needs.

Supported conversion activities may include:

• Assembly capacity
• Integration capacity
• Testing capacity
• Packaging capacity
• Supporting infrastructure
• Surge production readiness

The goal is to enable additional industrial capacity when production needs increase.

Optional Security Work Packages

Projects may include optional work packages for physical and cyber protection of production facilities.

These work packages may support:

• Counter-unmanned systems protection measures
• Detection and alerting systems
• Cybersecurity monitoring
• System hardening
• Protection of production infrastructure
• Alignment with European cybersecurity certification
• Compliance with relevant security standards

Optional security-related work packages may receive additional support of up to EUR 200,000 per project.

Key Performance Indicators

Projects are expected to define and track measurable performance indicators.

These indicators may include:

• Production output
• Time-to-rate
• Lead-time reduction
• Production line availability
• Production line uptime
• Qualified output delivered in Ukraine
• Manufacturing as a Service throughput
• Surge conversion readiness
• Workforce training results
• Supply chain robustness indicators
• Delivery reliability
• Readiness of production lines

Applicants should use clear indicators to show how the project improves industrial readiness and production resilience.

Funding Available

The total budget for the programme is EUR 80,000,000.

Funding limits include:

• Maximum EU contribution: EUR 10,000,000 per project
• Minimum eligible project size: EUR 2,000,000
• Additional optional security support: up to EUR 200,000 per project

Applicants should ensure that proposed budgets are realistic, justified, and aligned with the scope of industrial reinforcement activities.

Project Duration

Projects are expected to start after the signature of the grant agreement.

The indicative project duration is three to five years.

All projects must be completed no later than 31 December 2033.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants are legal entities established in:

• EU Member States
• Ukraine

Eligible entities may include:

• Public bodies
• Private bodies
• Industrial organisations
• Manufacturing entities
• Defence-related production partners
• Research and technology organisations where relevant to production reinforcement
• Other legal entities that meet the programme’s eligibility and security requirements

Entities must comply with all applicable rules on establishment, executive management, control, security, and validation.

Applicant Control and Management Requirements

Eligible organisations must have their executive management structure located in eligible countries.

They must not be controlled by non-associated third countries, except under specific regulatory conditions.

Applicants should ensure that their ownership, governance, and control structures meet the programme requirements.

Ineligible Entities

Entities located in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine are not eligible.

Applicants must also ensure that all participating entities meet security, regulatory, and eligibility conditions.

Expected Results

Funded projects are expected to strengthen defence production readiness and EU–Ukraine industrial cooperation.

Expected results may include:

• Increased production capacity in Ukraine
• Reduced production lead times
• Improved delivery reliability
• Stronger production line readiness
• Better cross-border industrial cooperation
• Improved integration, qualification, and testing capacity
• Expanded manufacturing and maintenance capability
• Stronger Ukrainian industrial base
• Improved surge production readiness
• More resilient supply chains
• Improved cyber and physical protection of production facilities

Why This Programme Matters

The programme matters because defence production readiness depends on strong industrial capacity, reliable supply chains, and rapid production scaling.

EU–Ukraine cooperation can help strengthen resilience, improve manufacturing coordination, and support long-term production capabilities.

By focusing on unmanned and counter-unmanned systems, the programme supports a high-priority area of modern defence industrial development while also strengthening production infrastructure, workforce skills, and industrial cooperation.

How to Apply or Prepare a Strong Proposal

Applicants should prepare a clear, technically credible, and cooperation-based proposal that demonstrates industrial impact and eligibility.

Step 1: Confirm Eligibility

Applicants should confirm that all participating entities are established in eligible countries.

They should also check requirements related to executive management, control, security, and location.

Step 2: Define the Industrial Capacity Challenge

The proposal should explain the current production challenge or capability gap.

Applicants should describe why production capacity, lead time, supply reliability, or sustainment capacity needs to be strengthened.

Step 3: Select the Target Production Area

Applicants should identify the unmanned or counter-unmanned systems production area covered by the project.

This may include unmanned systems, counter-unmanned systems, production lines, integration facilities, testing capacity, or sustainment infrastructure.

Step 4: Demonstrate EU–Ukraine Cooperation

The proposal should clearly explain how EU and Ukrainian partners will work together.

Applicants should describe:

• Partner roles
• Production responsibilities
• Cross-border cooperation model
• Integration and testing arrangements
• Sustainment responsibilities
• Governance structure
• Knowledge and capacity-sharing approach

Step 5: Define Production Scaling Activities

Applicants should describe how the project will increase production capacity.

This may include production line expansion, workforce development, Manufacturing as a Service, dual-use industry conversion, or supply chain strengthening.

Step 6: Include Clear Performance Indicators

The proposal should include measurable indicators.

Applicants should track production output, lead-time reduction, line availability, uptime, qualified output delivered in Ukraine, workforce training, and supply chain robustness.

Step 7: Prepare a Realistic Budget

The project must meet the minimum eligible size of EUR 2,000,000.

The requested EU contribution must not exceed EUR 10,000,000 per project.

Applicants should clearly justify all costs and connect them to production readiness, industrial scaling, and cooperation objectives.

Step 8: Address Security Measures

If relevant, applicants may include optional cyber and physical protection work packages.

These should be clearly linked to production facility resilience and may include detection systems, cybersecurity monitoring, system hardening, or protection infrastructure.

Step 9: Plan the Timeline

Projects should have an indicative duration of three to five years.

Applicants must ensure that all activities can be completed no later than 31 December 2033.

Step 10: Ensure Compliance and Documentation

Applicants should prepare all required legal, financial, security, and technical documentation.

They should ensure that all participating entities meet validation and eligibility requirements before submission.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid the following mistakes:

• Applying with entities located in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine
• Failing to demonstrate genuine EU–Ukraine cooperation
• Submitting a project below the EUR 2,000,000 minimum size
• Requesting more than EUR 10,000,000 in EU contribution
• Providing vague production capacity objectives
• Not defining measurable performance indicators
• Ignoring lead-time reduction and production output targets
• Failing to show how production lines will be sustained
• Overlooking executive management and control requirements
• Not addressing security and resilience needs where relevant
• Submitting a timeline that extends beyond 31 December 2033
• Providing weak justification for optional security work packages

Tips for a Strong Proposal

A strong proposal should:

• Clearly define the production capacity gap
• Demonstrate strong EU–Ukraine industrial cooperation
• Show measurable increases in production capacity
• Include realistic production scaling plans
• Track clear KPIs and milestones
• Strengthen supply chain resilience
• Explain how lead times will be reduced
• Address integration, qualification, testing, and sustainment
• Include workforce training and production readiness measures
• Justify the budget clearly
• Demonstrate compliance with eligibility and security rules
• Include cyber and physical protection measures where relevant

FAQ

1. What is the purpose of this European Commission grant programme?

The programme supports EU–Ukraine cooperation to strengthen industrial capacity for unmanned and counter-unmanned systems, improve defence production readiness, and increase resilience.

2. How much funding is available?

The total programme budget is EUR 80,000,000. The maximum EU contribution is EUR 10,000,000 per project.

3. What is the minimum eligible project size?

The minimum eligible project size is EUR 2,000,000.

4. Who can apply?

Legal entities established in EU Member States or Ukraine can apply, including public and private bodies that meet eligibility, management, control, and security requirements.

5. Are entities in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine eligible?

No. Entities located in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine are not eligible.

6. What types of activities are supported?

Supported activities include production scaling, joint EU–Ukraine production lines, integration, validation, testing, Manufacturing as a Service, dual-use industrial conversion, sustainment, supply chain strengthening, and optional cyber or physical protection measures.

7. How long can projects run?

Projects are expected to run for an indicative duration of three to five years and must be completed no later than 31 December 2033.

Conclusion

The European Commission grant programme supports major industrial reinforcement for unmanned and counter-unmanned systems through EU–Ukraine cooperation.

With a total budget of EUR 80,000,000, a maximum EU contribution of EUR 10,000,000 per project, and a minimum eligible project size of EUR 2,000,000, the programme aims to strengthen production capacity, reduce lead times, improve delivery reliability, and reinforce defence industrial resilience.

Applicants should prepare clear, compliant, and measurable proposals that demonstrate cross-border cooperation, production scaling, Manufacturing as a Service potential, dual-use conversion readiness, supply chain robustness, and alignment with security and eligibility requirements.

For more information, visit European Commission.