Today, a call for proposals for the Pilot Project for defence research has been published in the Official Journal and on the EDA website. The objective of the call is to award grant agreements for the value of almost €1.4 million for two technological development projects in the area of defence and one research and development project linked to certification for military and civil uses. This is the first time that defence research will be funded through the EU budget following a Delegation Agreement signed by the EDA and the European Commission in November 2015.
In particular, the present call looks for proposals that: foster research cooperation between defence research actors in European Union Member States, strengthen the defence industry’s competitiveness and raises the level of defence technological and industrial capacity for the armed forces.
Research in defence related technologies is a critical area for the development of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and the strength and strategic autonomy of the EU Member States armed forces.
The Pilot Project, has been introduced by the European Parliament in the EU budget (2015 and 2016), with the aim to test the conditions for defence research in the EU framework and pave the way for the planned Preparatory Action on defence research.
The European Commission, in agreement with the European Council, will launch a Preparatory Action on defence research, as foreseen in the Commission’s 2013 Communication on the defence and security sector and the 2014 implementation roadmap, which will start in 2017 and last for three years, in order to test and prepare the ground for a possible defence research programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
The Pilot Project has been entrusted to EDA by the European Commission through a Delegation Agreement which was signed on 16 November. As a result, EDA is responsible for the execution and management of the projects. The call for proposals, the submission of proposals, the evaluation and the awarding of the grant agreement will be organised and coordinated by EDA.
Interested parties are invited to respond to the call for proposals before 20 May 2016. The call and associated documentation are available here.
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