Following the Annexation of Crimea in 2014, then European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker made a declaration on the defence of the European Union. As history has shown his plea for a European Army has not been answered, however his call to action was manifested in European legislation and funding priorities. As the leader of the policy-making arm of the bloc, his reach resulted in two precursor programmes, the Preparatory action on Defence Research (PADR), which ran from 2017 to 2019, and the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP). Together these programmes had a budget of 590M€ and were deployed from 2017 to 2020, laying the groundwork for the European Defence Fund (EDF). The Fund, equipped with a budget of 8B€ for the 2021-2027 MFF, plans to invest in military R&D across Europe, and aims to guide as a strategic compass and a defence package.
After the first successful funding rounds in 2022, this webinar will take a closer look at the budget, priorities and calls for 2023 and outline the strategy behind the EDF further. Register to learn more!
Charlotte von der Brelie
Grants Development Consultant
Grants Office
Gregory Clare
Global Business Development
Grants Office
