European Defence Fund calls and how consortia form

European Defence Fund calls are yearly calls for proposals in which consortia of at least three entities from three EU member states or associated countries compete for EU funding of defence research and development. The fund has about 7.95 billion euro for 2021 to 2027, and SMEs take part mainly as consortium members.

How the calls are organised

The European Commission adopts a work programme each year with a list of topics, the budget for each and the type of action. Calls open on the EU Funding and Tenders portal, usually in the first half of the year, with deadlines a few months later. Results are announced the following spring.

There are two main kinds of action. Research actions can be funded up to 100 percent of eligible costs. Development actions, from design and prototypes to testing and qualification, are co-funded, and member states must show an intention to buy the result. Some topics are reserved for SMEs and mid-caps, and proposals with SMEs can receive higher funding rates.

Who can take part

Participants must be established in an EU member state or in Norway, which is associated, and must not be controlled by a non-associated third country. Entities controlled from outside can take part only with guarantees approved by the member state where they are established. The minimum consortium is three independent entities from three different eligible countries, but winning proposals are often much larger.

Who wins

Results published by the Commission show a familiar pattern. Large defence groups and research institutes coordinate the biggest projects, and each project includes a long list of partners from many countries, often with a significant share of SMEs. Countries with strong defence industries appear most often as coordinators, while companies from newer member states increasingly join as partners.

That pattern is good news for an SME. The coordinator needs partners with specific capabilities, from many countries, and usually starts building the consortium well before the call opens.

How consortia form

1. Topic watching. Coordinators read the draft work programme and pick topics that match their roadmap.
2. Core team. They agree a technical concept with two or three close partners, often from previous projects.
3. Gap filling. They look for partners with missing capabilities and from additional countries, through national contact points, industry associations and previous project lists.
4. Writing. The proposal is written in the weeks before the deadline, with each partner owning a work package.

To be invited, an SME needs to be visible in step three. Publish your capabilities with your national contact point, join the relevant industry association working groups and contact coordinators of past projects in your field directly.

Preparing for the next call

• Read the published results of previous calls and list the coordinators active in your technology area.
• Prepare a two-page capability sheet that matches the language of the work programme.
• Register on the Funding and Tenders portal and validate your legal entity in advance.
• Check the ownership and control rules for your company early, before you are asked.

More on European defence funding

Our European Defence Fund page summarises the rules, and EU defence tenders lists open procurement notices from European ministries of defence. With a capability profile on DefenceContractors you also see the companies that win related contracts, a practical list of possible coordinators and partners.