Council of the EU Report
17 Dec 25
EU outlines defence R&D funding priorities for 2026-2027 under European Defence Fund framework.
The European Commission published the Indicative Multiannual Perspective for the European Defence Fund (EDF) 2026-2027, providing early visibility into the EU’s planned defence research and development priorities for the next funding cycle.
The document outlines how future EDF work programmes will support collaborative defence innovation across Member States, with a focus on strengthening Europe’s technological and industrial base.
The perspective highlights priority capability areas including secure communications, electronic warfare resilience, autonomous systems, sensors, space-enabled defence, and command-and-control technologies. These domains reflect lessons learned from recent conflicts and align with the EU’s broader objective to enhance defence readiness and interoperability under contested and GNSS-denied conditions.
By publishing the outlook, the Commission aims to enable defence companies, SMEs, and research organisations to anticipate future calls, form consortia, and align technology development roadmaps ahead of formal EDF work programme launches. The approach is intended to reduce barriers to participation and improve industrial coordination across Europe.
Overall, the Indicative Multiannual Perspective demonstrates the EU’s long-term commitment to defence innovation and providing clarity on the technological directions that will shape European defence capability development through the second half of the decade.