REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS The European Defence Fund: supporting the development of the defence capabilities of tomorrow Interim evaluation of the European Defence Fund
Date: 2025-06-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, European defence policy, common security and defence policy, defence expenditure, fund (EU), innovation, military equipment, military research, research and development, technology

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.6.2025  COM(2025) 299 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS The European Defence Fund: supporting the development of the defence capabilities of tomorrow  Interim evaluation of the European Defence Fund {SEC(2025) 169 final} - {SWD(2025) 151 final}  
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

A  strong,  competitive,  and  innovative  EU  Defence  Technological  and  Industrial  Base 
(EDTIB) is  a  key  pre-requisite  for  achieving  defence  readiness. At  the  time  of  inception  of 
the  European  Defence  Fund  (EDF),  the  EU’s  defence  R&D  funding  programme  for  2021-
20271, decades of cuts in defence spending, increasing cost of defence R&D and equipment, 
market fragmentation and lack of cooperation has left critical capability gaps in the Member 
States’ armed forces, many of which require new technologies and innovative solutions.  

Increasing security threats since the launch of the fund, the return of high-intensity warfare in 
Europe and growing geopolitical tensions, coupled with fast technological changes, have only 
aggravated  and  vividly  expressed  the  problems  that  the  Fund  aims  to  tackle.  Collaborative 
defence research and development (R&D) has therefore become a key driver for unleashing 
the full potential of the EDTIB. Furthermore, it is widely accepted that very few EU Member 
States  can  afford  to  develop  the  most  complex  defence  systems  by  themselves,  and  no 
country can do so across all domains, calling for coordinated action at European level. 

The EDF is  the EU’s  answer to  this call and a step change in  the way the EU  supports  the 
EDTIB. With a budget  of  EUR 7.3 billion, it aims  to  foster the  competitiveness,  efficiency 
and  innovation  capacity  of  the  European  defence  industry  by  supporting  collaborative  and 
cross-border R&D cooperation throughout the EU.  

With  EUR  5.4  billion  already  committed  to  defence  R&D  and  162  projects  on-going,  the 
EDF  has  become  one  of  the  largest  defence  R&D  programmes  in  Europe.  The  fund  has 
attracted  the  best  defence  R&D  players,  as  well  as  many  non-traditional  companies  and  is 
expected to have a large-scale impact. The EDF is ‘user-centric’, driven by the needs of the 
armed  forces  of  the  Member  States  and  Norway.  Next-generation  technologies  and 
capabilities  in  all  military  domains  -  air,  ground,  naval,  space,  cyber  -  are  expected  to  be 
developed with EDF support, many of which would have not gone ahead without it. The EDF 
is  also  delivering  clear  value  for  money  for  the  EU  economy  including  with  spillover  on 
civilian applications.  

The increasing relevance of the EDF is confirmed by its growing attractiveness for industry. 
There has been a constant increase in proposals submitted under the EDF calls for proposals. 
Starting in 2021 with 140 proposals, and with a stable annual budget, the latest (2024) calls 
for proposals attracted nearly 300 proposals - an increase of 25% in addition to the substantial 
increase  of  78%  in  2023.  The  fund’s  importance  is  also  underlined  by  the  variety  of 
stakeholders’ contributions submitted to the Commission during the EDF interim evaluation. 
Input was provided by 330 entities in the form of around 100 questionnaire replies, more than 
30 position papers and during dedicated meetings and workshops. The stakeholders consulted 
included a representative part of the EDTIB as well as other key stakeholders.   

During its first years, the EDF implementation has been a balancing act aimed at reconciling 
two twin but sometimes diverging objectives.  On one side, closing critical capability gaps by 
supporting  the  development  of  next  generation  defence  technologies  and  capabilities,  with 
Member  States  in  the  driving  seat  for  setting  priorities.  On  the  other,  accelerating  the 
transformation of defence through innovation, inclusiveness, and by attracting new and non-
traditional defence players. Both underpinned by the general objective of de-fragmenting the 
EDTIB, encouraging collaboration and ensuring a socio-economic return.  

1  The EDF builds on two precursor programmes, limited in time and budget, the Preparatory Action on Defence 
Research (PADR) and the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP). 

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1.  ADDRESSING FRAGMENTATION AND BOOSTING COLLABORATION  

The EDF already plays an important role in boosting collaborative defence R&D spending 
in the EU. As of March 2025, five EDF annual work programmes have been adopted by the 
Commission, committing a total of EUR 5.4 billion for defence R&D. This makes the EDF 
one of the top 3 defence R&D investors in the EU2. This investment includes around half of 
the  total  collaborative  defence  research  in  the  EU. At  national  level,  although  legal  entities 
from  Member  States  with  large,  well-established  defence  industries,  are  the  largest 
beneficiaries of EDF funding, a comparison with the most recent European Defence Agency 
(EDA)  data  on  national  R&D3  funding  shows  a  highly  positive  effect  for  all  countries, 
including for medium-sized and small-sized Member States with a limited traditional defence 
industry. In its first year of operation4, the EDF already provided funding similar or higher, in 
some  cases  significantly  higher,  to  the  total  national  defence  R&D  expenditure  for  15 
Member States5. 

Through  its  incentives,  the  EDF  has  fostered  unprecedented  cross-border  defence  R&D 
cooperation across the EU. It promotes mutual understanding and a shared culture among the 
entities involved, which helps to defragment the EDTIB. The 162 EDF projects involve 1.366 
unique participants6 from 26 Member States7 and Norway. This includes a wide geographical 
distribution  of  entities  involved,  also  from  regions  where  the  defence  industry  is  not 
traditionally prominent. While the EDF requires cooperation by at least three different legal 
entities  from  at  least  three  Member  States/Norway,  the  average  EDF  project  consists  of  19 
participants  from  eight  countries.  Overall,  the  EDF  has  proven  valuable  as  a  framework  to 
find  new  partners,  including  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises  (SMEs)  and  mid-caps,  as 
well as extending on-going collaborations.   

Beyond  the  traditional  defence  industry,  the  EDF  has  proven  to  be  an  attractive  instrument 
also  for  European  SMEs,  mid-caps  and  research  organisations.  SMEs  in  particular  play  a 
growing  role  as  agile  providers  of  disruptive  technologies  and  innovation  in  the  defence 
sector. Thanks to the targeted efforts to integrate SMEs and innovators in the EDF (including 
through  support  beyond  grants  to  accompany  their  business  growth  and  technological 
maturity  of  innovative  ideas),  SMEs  are  heavily  involved  in  EDF  projects,  representing 
43% of the unique participants in EDF and receiving around 20% of EU funding8. In 6 EU 
Member States,  they represent  more than 50% of participations9.  Mid-caps represent  4% of 
unique  participants,  receiving  around  6%  of  funding.  While  SMEs  benefit  from  dedicated 
support  measures,  the  overwhelming  share  of  SME  participations  falls  under  the  thematic 
topics,  ensuring  strong  involvement  across  the  full  programme.  The  number  of  SME 
applicants  is  steadily  increasing  each  year.  The  most  recent  -  2024  -  calls  for  proposals 
witnessed  a  28%  increase  in  proposals  submitted  from  SMEs  and  research  organisations 
compared to the previous year.  

2   Together with the national defence R&D investments in France and Germany 
3   European Defence Agency’s Defence Data 2020-2021 Key Findings and Analysis. 
4    Latest publicly available data for national R&D expenditure is for 2021  
5    BE, BG, CY, EE, EL, ES, HR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, PT, SI 
6   Beneficiaries, affiliated entities and subcontractors as of February 2025. DG DEFIS, European Commission. 
7    All EU Member States except Malta 
8   Self-declared  SMEs.  DG  DEFIS,  European  Commission.  Data  from  EDF  projects  2021-2023  extracted  in 

February 2025 

9   The highest level is observed in CY, EE, IE, LT, LU, and EL 

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By  enabling  closer  cooperation  between  primes,  SMEs  and  research  and  technology 
organisations, between defence companies and civilian companies that develop technologies 
with  defence  and  dual-use  potential  and  by  widening  cooperation  within  defence  supply 
chains, the EDF plays an important role in making the European defence industry less 
fragmented.  

2.  CLOSING  CRITICAL  CAPABILITY  GAPS:  DEVELOPING  NEXT 

GENERATION DEFENCE TECHONOLOGIES AND CAPABILITIES  

While  the  EDF  is  still  a  relatively  young  programme  (none  of  the  EDF  projects  have  been 
completed yet), its relevance  for the  Member States’  armed forces  is  already  evidenced 
by its role in developing new defence technologies and products that address critical gaps 
in all capability domains. The take up of EDF precursors projects’ results by the armed forces 
of the Member States gives a strong indication for its potential. 

Developing key next generation defence capabilities 

EDF planning and programming is ‘user-centric’, based directly on the needs and input from 
Member  States  and  Norway.  It  therefore  ensures  a  high  degree  of  coherence  between  the 
defence capability development priorities as identified in the framework of the Capability 
Development Plan (CDP), the areas for potential cooperation under the Coordinated Annual 
Review on Defence (CARD), other types of cooperation (PESCO, EDA Category B projects, 
and where relevant in a NATO context) and the areas of EDF support.  

The  EDF  incentivises  EU  Member  States  and  Norway  to  collaborate  in  developing  next 
generation  defence  technologies,  products  and  capabilities  that  might  be  difficult  or  even 
impossible  to  achieve  by  a  single  country.  Given  the  scale  of  the  EDF  support  in  major 
defence  R&D  projects  (e.g.  the  European  Patrol  Corvette,  Eurodrone),  which  is  larger  than 
the total annual R&D expenditure of most EU countries, it is nearly impossible for a single 
country to develop several EDF projects of such magnitude at the same time. Similarly, 
the  EU  HYDEF  and  HYDIS2  endo-atmospheric  interceptor  projects  involve  high  costs  and 
complex  technical  challenges  that  are  difficult  for  any  Member  State  to  manage 
independently.  The  EDF  also  provides  unique  opportunities  for  smaller  Member  States  and 
for countries with a limited defence industry to involve their national industry in developing 
major EU defence capabilities. Overall, the fund provides a positive structural impact that 
goes beyond the EDF budget itself.  

EDF  actions  are  expected  to  develop  more  than  50  prototypes,  which  constitute  the 
technology  and  capability blocks for next generation defence  capabilities. For  example,  the 
EDF supports the development of prototypes for the following capabilities and technologies: 

▪  Air domain: helicopters, drones (medium-altitude long-endurance, tactical, combat), 

electronic warfare, propulsion systems.  

▪  Air  and  missile  defence  domain:  endo-atmospheric  interceptors,  counter-drones, 

space-based missile early warning. 

▪  Ground  domain:  combat  platforms,  long-range  indirect  fire,  unmanned  ground 
systems, soldier systems, energy for military camps, command and control systems.  

▪  Naval  domain:  platforms  (European  Patrol  Corvette,  mid-size  semi-autonomous 
vessels),  mine  countermeasures,  underwater  communications,  seabed  and  critical 
infrastructure protection.  

▪  Space  domain:  Public  Regulated  Service  (PRS)  receivers,  space  situational 

awareness, space-based ISR, or high-altitude pseudo satellites.  

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▪  Cyber domain: cyber situational awareness, cyber ranges, interoperable systems for 

cyber defence and information warfare operations. 

Furthermore, the EDF contributes to the EU’s strategic autonomy by supporting numerous 
projects  for  the  development  of  defence  technologies  and  products  for  which  Europe  is 
currently fully dependent on third countries and for which there are no EU alternatives. 

Project  box:  EDF  projects  addressing  key  capability  gaps  and  contributing  to  EU 
strategic autonomy 
a)  Hypersonic  missile  defence:  EU  HYDEF  and  HYDIS2  are  EDF  projects  funded  to 
develop capabilities related to the interception of hypersonic missiles. Before this, there 
was no programme developing such a critical capability needed for Europe’s defence. 
b)  EUROMALE:  The  development  of  a  fully  sovereign  European  Medium  Altitude  Long 
Endurance  (MALE)  drone  addresses  a  critical  capability  shortfall  in  European  armed 
forces.  

c)  Space-based  missile  early  warning:  Through  the  ODIN’s  EYE  II  project,  the  EDF 
supports  the  development  of  fully  sovereign  and  independent  capabilities  dedicated  to 
early  warning  from  space  for  the  detection  and  tracking  of  ballistic  missiles  and  novel 
hypersonic threats. Having such a critical capability will remove current dependencies on 
third countries and increase the EU’s autonomy in space. 

d)  Future Mid-size Tactical Cargo (FMTC): The EDF contributes to the financing of a next-
generation  European  FMTC  aircraft.  Having  this  military  transport  capacity  is  a  key 
enabler  for  the  autonomous  conduct  of  EU  missions  and  operations.  Moreover,  current 
tactical  aircraft  are  outdated,  with  some  aircraft  originally  designed  almost  sixty  years 
ago.  

On  the  interoperability  and  interchangeability  of  defence  systems,  the  EDF  has  the 
potential to improve both, with EDF projects addressing components or sub-systems that can 
benefit  several  future  capabilities.  In  addition,  while  end-systems  using  the  technology  can 
potentially be developed at national level with Member States competing against each other, 
many  basic  technologies  benefit  from  joint  developments  by  increasing  cost  efficiency  and 
competitiveness on the market.  

Addressing emerging and changing priorities 

Recent military conflicts have given prominence to “new ways of warfighting" and focus on 
specific  capability  development  vectors  while,  at  the  same  time,  accelerating  pre-existing 
trends. This is the case for example with the development and use of unmanned platforms, air 
and  missile  defence,  in  the  space  and  cyber  domains.  The  EDF  work  programmes  have 
successfully addressed these emerging and changing priorities, for example by extending 
the areas addressed under the ‘Air and missile defence’ category of action in response to the 
growing  importance  of  this  area,  and  under  ‘Force  protection  and  mobility’,  addressing  the 
strategic air transportation of outsized cargo in order to address a key capability gap further 
exaggerated by the unavailability of the Antonov transport fleet. 

Furthermore,  certain  topics  that  initially  had  lower  funding  have  received  increasing 
importance  over  time.  For  example,  the  “Underwater  warfare”  category  –  with  growing 
dependence on underwater infrastructure like gas pipelines or internet cables  – has received 
closer attention. This re-prioritisation aligns with the EDF’s broader goal of balancing long-
term innovation with the demands of the current security context.  

The EDF has also started supporting the progressive integration of the Ukrainian defence 
industry  into  the  EDTIB.  While  under  the  EDF  Regulation  Ukrainian  entities  can  only 
participate in research projects as associated partners (and cannot receive EDF funding), or as 
providers  of  goods,  works  or  services  needed  to  carry  out  EDF  projects,  EDF  support 

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measures already enable Ukrainian entities to participate in specific EDF defence innovation 
activities10. 

Ensuring continuity of effort  

Ensuring continuity of effort along the R&D cycle up to market uptake has been highlighted 
by  the  defence  industry  as  one  of  the  main  benefits  of  the  EDF. This  has  helped  to  rescue 
several defence projects from the ‘valley of death’ as they would otherwise not have received 
further  funding  at  national  level  to  move  to  the  critical  funding  step  between  product 
development  and  customer  uptake  and  deliver  concrete  results  for  the  armed  forces  of 
Members  States.  More  than  half  of  the  EDIDP  projects  were  followed  up  under  the  EDF, 
thereby  ensuring  project  continuity,  while  an  increasing  number  of  EDF  projects  also  have 
funding for their next steps, as progress is made in technology or capability development. The 
fact that research projects were continued as development projects should not be taken as the 
sole  or  main  indicator  of  success.  Many  projects,  especially  those  related  to  large  and 
complex capabilities, build on long technology or capability roadmaps and sometimes need to 
have  several  follow-on  topics  before  entering  the  final  R&D  phase.  This  is  the  case,  for 
instance,  with  the  development  of  future  mid-size  tactical  cargo  aircraft,  or  advanced  radar 
technologies, both of which were addressed twice in the EDF research window. 

A particular challenge in this respect has been finding the right balance between competitive 
calls and ensuring continuity of effort via direct awards once consortia, selected through a 
competitive  process,  have  proven  their  capacity  to  deliver  timely  results  during  on-going 
projects. An additional key element is to ensure a strong commitment by Member States 
to  R&D  continuity.  Beyond  the  EDF  contribution,  EDF  development  projects  require 
complementary  financing  (‘co-financing’)  from  supporting  Member  States  or  from  other 
sources (e.g. consortium own resources), to fully cover the projects’ costs. The demonstration 
of  such  co-financing  is  an  eligibility  condition  for  development  projects  and  was  set-up  to 
incentivise the leveraging of additional national contributions thus ensuring a commitment of 
Member States to uptake the R&D results. With the progress of programme implementation, 
and  with  follow-up  projects  reaching  higher  stages  of  development,  there  has  been  an 
increase in the required co-financing, both in terms of the amount and share, with particularly 
high values in recent years. Development projects face serious challenges to establishing the 
full  co-financial  framework.  For  some  projects  co-financing  is  still  not  in  place  several 
years after the projects have started, leading to serious delays. Regarding the issues that may 
explain  the  lengthy  process  of  setting  up  co-financing  frameworks,  Member  States  have 
reported difficulty in agreeing on the necessary Memoranda of Understanding and user rights, 
which  in  many  cases  are  a  prerequisite  to  signing  national  cofinancing  contracts.  Co-
financing remains therefore an important point of attention for EDF implementation. 

Towards procurement of projects outcomes  

The  EDF  will  prove  successful  if  the  Member  States  procure  the  capabilities  that  the  Fund 
helps develop. Despite the early stage of EDF implementation, there are positive signs about 
the procurement potential for projects’ results, with some procurements already materialising. 
Half of the Member States consulted during the evaluation noted that EDF, EDIDP or PADR 
project results were already being procured at national level or are likely to be procured soon 
while the rest of the respondents stated that it was too early to provide a definitive answer. 

10   Through e.g. financial support to third parties under specific call topics, or through hackathons.  

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Project box: European Patrol Corvette 

The EDF project European Patrol Corvette (EPC) supports the development of a corvette-class 
vessel  capable  of  performing  a  wide  range  of  missions  in  future  maritime  operational  contexts. 
Four EU Member States (as of November 2024: FR, IT, ES, EL) have formally expressed interest 
in procurement, and some of them have already allocated procurement funds in their national 
capability  plans.  The  total  EDF  contribution  is  significant  and  has  ensured  strong  project 
continuity.  Procurement  contracts  are  expected  for  a  double-digit  number  of  vessels  and 
there is growing interest from other Member States. 

Furthermore, first project outcomes have started entering the armed forces of EU Member 
States and are making a difference on the battlefield. This includes critical areas such as 
sea mines warfare solutions, unmanned systems or cyber defence. Some of the technologies 
developed with EU support are already in use in Ukraine.  

Project box: Integration of project result into the navies of Member States 
Innovative sea  mine warfare solutions for delivering better,  faster, safer and more resilient mine 
countermeasure  operations:  The  design,  prototype  and  demonstration  of  a  system  of  systems 
composed of unmanned autonomous toolboxes, intelligent platforms, sensors and their decision 
support,  was  developed  with  the  support  of  the  projects  MIRICLE  and  E=MCM  and  integrated 
onboard  a  new  class  of  mine  countermeasure  vessels  jointly  procured  by  the  Dutch  and 
Belgian navies (12 ships ordered, with potential for other operators). The first ship of the class is 
planned to enter service with the Belgian navy in 2025.  

Project box: Project outcomes used in Ukraine 
The  EDIDP  project  iMUGS  supports  the  development  of  autonomous  capabilities  of  existing 
platform  to  address  a  large  range  of  missions.  The  platform  is  in  operational  use  in  Ukraine  for 
minefields  clearing,  casualty  evacuation,  and  logistics.  Autonomous  surveillance  and  threat 
recognition  solutions  developed  under  the  project  AI4DEF  are  being  used  by  Ukrainian  armed 
forces. 

3.  TRANSFORMING  DEFENCE  THROUGH  INNOVATION:  MAINTAINING  A 

COMPETITIVE EDGE 

To remain competitive,  the EU  must  develop  a  defence  innovation  ecosystem. Accelerating 
the transformation of defence through innovation, including in disruptive technologies, has 
therefore been actively supported by the EDF under the  ‘EU Defence Innovation Scheme’ 
(EUDIS). With an overall budget of EUR 1.5 billion until 2027, i.e. around 20 % of the EDF 
budget, it is expected to be complemented with EUR 400-500 million from other public and 
private sources.  

EUDIS measures include dedicated non-thematic R&D calls as well as the introduction of 
novel  mechanisms  such  as  ‘Financial  support  to  third  parties’  with  acceleration  support  in 
specific  technology  domains,  strengthened  synergies  between  EU-funded  civil  and  defence 
research,  ‘Technological  challenges’  and  support 
to  high-risk/high-return  disruptive 
technology research. Additionally, a set of innovative support services for SMEs and start-
ups  has  been  gradually  developed.  It  includes  defence  hackathons,  business  coaching, 
acceleration  support,  matchmaking  services,  and  the  set-up  of  a  Defence  Equity  Facility 
through  the  European  Investment  Fund  to  unleash  capital  to  finance  R&D  intensive 
companies.  

EUDIS measures also includes spin-in calls for proposals. They leverage technologies with 
dual-use  potential  from  civil  EU-funded  R&D  (e.g.  Horizon  Europe),  enabling  their 

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adaptation to defence applications. So far, the EDF spin-in calls have addressed the areas of 
cyber, energy and power systems, high-performance materials, electronic components, space 
and autonomous systems. At the same time,  the EDF ensures  synergies  with  the  EU  Space 
Programme by funding the development of technologies, products and capabilities that will 
make use of, complement or interface with services provided by the EU Space Programme's 
components.  Similarly,  more  than  20  Horizon  Europe  projects  have  been  found  to  have 
strong  synergies  with  defence.  Since  2024,  the  European  Innovation  Council  (EIC),  via  its 
Transition  Funding  Scheme  –  which  helps  turn  research  outputs  into  proof-of-concept  and 
beyond – has welcomed spin-in proposals that build directly on EDF/PADR generated results.  

The  lessons  from  the  Russian  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine  and  rapid  technological 
progress,  in  addition  to  the  adjustments  that  they  contributed  to  in  the  EDF  capability 
development  areas,  have  raised  expectations  that  the  EDF  also  needs  to  provide  faster, 
leaner processes to integrate innovative defence solutions. Accessible opportunities should 
be created to support projects that bring fast solutions that replicate the success of the quick 
innovation life cycle developed in Ukraine, which includes constant feedback from the final 
user  on  the  battlefield  (real-life  testing).  Considering  the  long-term  nature  of  the  defence 
R&D  projects  under  the  EDF,  the  EU  defence  innovation  ecosystem  is  missing  an 
opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of Ukrainian industry and its armed forces. 

At the same time, it is vitally important for the success of the programme to keep the right 
balance and ensure that the EDF addresses future, long-term defence R&D needs. Other EU 
defence  instruments,  such  as  ASAP,  EDIRPA,  and  the  Commission  proposal  for  EDIP, 
complement  the  EDF’s  focus  by  addressing  immediate  priorities  and  emergency  needs. As 
highlighted by a think tank: “the EDF is a long-term programme and it’s a good thing for 
it to stay just as relevant.” 

4.  THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC RETURNS OF DEFENCE R&D 

The  EDF  is  expected  to  deliver  a  clear  value  for  money  by  generating  significant  positive 
productivity effects for the economy and society. This is indicated by a macroeconomic study 
carried  out  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre11.  While  it  faces  important  limitations  due  to  the 
early  stage  of  programme  implementation,  the  study  provides  valuable  insight  into  the 
expected  socio-economic  results  of  the  fund.  The  EDF  is  projected  to  achieve  a  maximum 
impact of a +0,025% increase in EU GDP in 2030 compared to the baseline scenario without 
the  EDF,  thanks  to  the  combination  of  increased  private  investment  and  higher  total  factor 
productivity. This corresponds to a maximum increase of EUR 2,954 million of GDP in 2030 
and  the  creation  of  an  additional  32,413  jobs  across  the  EU. As  the  EDTIB  is  estimated  to 
directly employ around 500,000 people, this data illustrates the solid impact of EDF for the 
economy. In addition, there are further potential benefits for the EU economy and security 
environment  resulting  from  the  EDF  investments.  The  EDF  intervention  strengthens  the 
innovativeness  and  competitiveness  of  the  EU  industry,  opening  new  market  opportunities, 
including beyond defence. It leads to more efficient R&D spending (fewer gaps and overlaps, 
bigger  scale,  more  risk-taking),  including  in  terms  of  interoperability,  compared  to  national 
and potentially duplicating approaches. It strengthens the security of the EU and its influence 
in the world, including on setting standards. Additional positive socio-economic effects of the 
EDF  were  highlighted  during  the  interim  evaluation  consultation.  Stakeholders  highlighted 
that  the  EDF  has  led  to  a  larger  level  of  ambition  than  what  would  have  been  possible  at 
national level, with projects with greater research potential or which entail the development 
of  large  capabilities  that  the  defence  industry  would  not  have  otherwise  been  capable  of 

11 The RHOMOLO macroeconomic impact assessment of the EDF 2021-2027 (2025), JRC Seville 

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undertaking.  Most  of  the  defence  industry  consulted  signalled  increased  organisational 
growth  thanks  to  the  EDF.  Defence  industry  representatives  noted  that  engineers,  scientists 
and other experts find interesting work opportunities through EDF initiatives that address the 
skills dimension.  

5.  SIMPLIFICATION  

As the EDF evolves, the Commission has continuously integrated lessons learned. This has 
led  to  a  continuous  simplification  of  the  programme’s  implementation.  Consulted 
stakeholders have highlighted the smooth functioning of the EDF: the recurring remark in the 
consultations with beneficiaries was that the EDF has become a simpler programme to apply 
to  and  work  with  as  it  has  become  better  known  over  the  years.  This  is  also  valid  when 
comparing  the  EDF  to  precursor  programmes  as  the  Commission,  Member  States  and 
beneficiaries  have  collectively  drawn  lessons  and  established  practices  that  work  well  and 
have become routine.  

Notable  improvements  include  the  introduction  of  fully  electronic  submission  and  project 
management  supported  by  formatted,  tailored  templates  to  handle  all  aspects  of  the  EDF 
Regulation in a more standardised approach. Year after year, the EDF work programmes and 
EDF  calls  are  published  earlier,  allowing  applicants  longer  to  prepare  proposals,  secure 
required support from Member States and apply for funding. The time needed to carry out the 
evaluations has been reduced, and overall,  the vast majority of consulted beneficiaries have 
stated that the project implementation stage is more efficient with the EDF than in precursor 
programmes, with improved procedures and simplification measures. 

While much has already been done to  simplify EDF implementation,  there is  still room for 
improvement. The consultations have led to further ideas on simplification in the short- (incl. 
via the Defence Omnibus) and longer-term.  

6.  CONCLUSION  

The rapidly deteriorating strategic context has demonstrated that the EDF is a not a ‘should 
have’ but a ‘must have’ programme, as it is necessary to invest more in defence R&D now to 
ensure that future state-of-the-art capabilities are delivered on time. The EDF has successfully 
brought  together  defence  R&D  under  a  single,  medium  to  long-term  and  well-recognised 
programme, contributing to a coherent and more integrated EU defence R&D landscape.  

While EDF projects have not yet had time to produce their full expected results and impact, it 
is  already  clear  that  the  fund  has  led  to  effective  support  throughout  the  entire  capability 
R&D cycle and has encouraged strong cross-border cooperation, leading to efficiency gains.  

Given the considerable financial and technological challenges facing defence R&D, the need 
for  more  strategic,  multiannual  planning  that  provides  industry  with  predictability  has 
become an important point for the future of the programme. Furthermore, the Commission, in 
close  cooperation  with  the  Member  States,  will  work  on  developing  a  stronger  link  with 
procurement (where relevant jointly) by the Member States’ armed forces of the results and 
outcomes of EDF projects.  

The EDF has continuously integrated lessons learned from previous years. This has led to the 
continuous  simplification  of  the  programme’s  implementation,  and  the  Commission  will 
continue working towards a simpler, more user-friendly and more impactful EDF. 

The insights and key conclusions  from the EDF interim evaluation  are set to play a critical 
role  in  shaping  the  remaining  years  of  implementation  of  the  fund  and  inform  the  policy 
decisions for future EU defence R&D initiatives.  

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