Today, the Commission adopted the third annual Work Programme under the European Defence Fund (EDF), allocating €1.2 billion to defence collaborative research and development projects.

With this new Work Programme, the Commission unlocks new funding for defence projects to jointly develop strategic defence capabilities and technologies. It also introduces a series of new measures to promote defence innovation under the umbrella of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS). 

The EDF will help reduce the fragmentation of investments in European defence capability development. It will also enhance industrial competitiveness and promotes interoperability throughout Europe. With the adoption of this work programme, the Commission will have invested more than €3 billion since the entry into application of the EDF Regulation in May 2021.