EU invests €910 million to boost European defence and close capability gaps

On 30 April, the European Commission announced a new investment of €910 million under the 2024 edition of the European Defence Fund (EDF) to create a strong and innovative defence industry in Europe. 

These investments into projects, selected through the fourth edition of EDF calls, aim to close key capability gaps – like force mobility and drone defence – through innovation and collaboration across European science and industry. Moreover, and for the first time, Ukrainian defence industries are associated to EDF projects.

The strengthened cooperation between the Ukrainian and European defence industries, builds on outreach efforts by the EU Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv to foster closer ties and to further integrate Ukraine into the European defence industrial base, reinforcing shared security and innovation objectives.

Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, said: “The selected proposals support the development of critical capabilities such as air and missile defence systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, which will enable European armed forces to respond to emerging threats and protect our citizens, whether it’s through strengthening our collective defence or supporting our partners, like Ukraine, in their efforts to defend themselves against foreign aggression.”

The fourth edition of the EDF calls has seen unprecedented interest from the EU defence industry and research organisations. It has attracted a record-number of 299 proposals, bringing together 625 legal entities from 25 EU Member States or Norway. 

According to the European Commission, SMEs play a vital role in selected proposals, accounting for over 38% of all participating entities and receiving more than 27% of the total EU funding requested. In the selected projects, over €360 million are assigned to 39 research projects and €539 million to 23 capability development projects.

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