The EU backs its defence innovators with €115 million under AGILE

Published on 08/04/2026 - 8:30 GMT+2

The European Commission’s caller initiative, called AGILE, Accelerating Groundbreaking Innovation for Defence successful Europe, targets tiny and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and scale-ups moving connected AI, drones, robotics, quantum exertion and cybersecurity. Unlike existing funds, it does not necessitate companies to signifier consortia to apply.

The Commission describes the spread betwixt a moving prototype and a deployed capableness arsenic the "innovation vale of death." AGILE is designed to adjacent it, offering up to 100% outgo sum and a retroactive clause allowing firms to assertion costs incurred up to 3 months earlier a telephone closes.

Between 20 and 30 projects are expected to beryllium funded, with technologies targeted for deployment to defence forces wrong 3 years.

AGILE sits betwixt the European Defence Fund, which covers probe and improvement and the European Defence Industry Programme, which handles accumulation and procurement astatine scale.

It remains a proposal, taxable to support by Parliament and Council. If passed, the Commission says it should beryllium operational from aboriginal 2027.