EDF 2026 calls enter final weeks, C-UAS spend tops USD 53 billion, defence VC hits record USD 8.7 billion

EDF 2026 round enters final weeks, EUR 1 billion across 10 calls, deadline 29 September

The European Commission's 2026 European Defence Fund work programme carries roughly EUR 1.01 billion across 10 calls covering 31 funding topics, published 17 December 2025 with calls opened in January 2026. The submission deadline is 29 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, so this week is the final stretch to submit. Eligibility requires at least three independent entities from three different Member States or EDF-associated countries such as Norway. Research Actions fund up to 100 percent of eligible costs; Development Actions run 20 to 80 percent with SME uplifts and target TRL 5 to 8. Open-topic SME R&D projects reach up to EUR 6 million, while thematic topics run roughly EUR 10 million to EUR 100 million. For founders: with three weeks left, the binding constraint is the three-country consortium, so any founder without partners already lined up should default to the open-topic SME strand rather than chase a thematic topic.

Source: EUDIS SME calls, European Commission

EUDIS Defence Business Accelerator Autumn Cohort kicks off this month with 20 companies

The EUDIS Defence Business Accelerator Autumn Cohort is set to commence in September 2026, per the Commission call notice, with 20 companies selected for an 8-month programme. EUDIS runs two calls per year at 20 companies per cohort. Benefits include tailored coaching and training at a designated accelerator site, on-demand physical workspace, and five onsite bootcamps across different European regions connecting participants with defence industry leaders, end-users and investors. In wider context, EUDIS accounts for EUR 231 million of the 2026 EDF budget, and its Defence Equity Facility now lists seven funds including Keen, Nasza, Omnes, Project A, Sienna, Day One and Join Capital, with Ukrainian entities eligible for EDF cascade funding. For founders: the accelerator's real value is the five-bootcamp end-user access, so those already in the cohort should prioritise a signed pilot or LOI from a bootcamp introduction over the coaching curriculum.

Source: New EUDIS Defence Business Accelerator call, Defence Industry and Space, European Commission

European defence VC funding closed 2025 at record USD 8.7 billion, up 55 percent

A Dealroom and NATO Innovation Fund report finds European defence, security and resilience startups raised a record USD 8.7 billion in 2025, up 55 percent year on year and roughly four times the level of five years ago. Defence now accounts for about 10 percent of all European VC funding, up from under 1 percent before 2020. Late-stage rounds reached USD 4.7 billion, tripling year on year, while early-stage activity softened slightly; AI underpinned 44 percent of all DSR funding. Munich retained the top hub position, the UK attracted the most VC funding, and Central and Eastern Europe showed the largest growth. The trend continues into 2026, with UK air defence firm Cambridge Aerospace raising EUR 259.7 million Series C at a EUR 2.94 billion valuation in August. For founders: with capital pooling in late-stage megarounds and early-stage softening, seed founders should pair equity with non-dilutive EDF and DEF money and lead with a validated prototype, not growth metrics.

Source: UK air defence company Cambridge Aerospace raises EUR 259.7 million Series C at EUR 2.94 billion valuation, EU-Startups