Technologies for counter-battery capabilities
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Technologies for counter-battery capabilities offering max €39.0M funding💰 Funding Details
Funding Description – EDF-2025-RA-GROUND-CBC
What the Grant Finances
* Research & Technology (R&T) activities that generate, integrate and study knowledge for next-generation counter-battery (CB) capabilities, including disruptive sensor concepts.
* Optional preliminary design tasks that de-risk an automated, AI-enabled CB sensor suite.
* Development of common, low-cost and (if required) expendable sensor carriers (UxVs, balloons, ground nodes, etc.).
* Creation of multi-domain signature databases (acoustic, seismic, RF, optical) and GNSS-independent positioning concepts.
* Feasibility studies on deployment mechanisms and exploitation of illuminators-of-opportunity (5G, DAB,…).
Eligible Activities (Art. 10(3) EDF Regulation)
1. Generating knowledge – mandatory
2. Integrating knowledge – mandatory
3. Studies/feasibility – mandatory
4. Design – optional
(No prototyping, testing, qualification, certification or life-cycle optimisation is funded under this call.)
Who Can Apply
* Consortium of ≥3 independent entities established in ≥3 different EU Member States and/or EDF Associated Countries (at least two must not be majority-owned or controlled by the same Member State).
* Applicants must comply with the security & ownership rules of the EDF (no control by non-associated third countries unless granted a duly justified derogation).
* Participants must demonstrate operational & financial capacity and be free of EU exclusion grounds.
Available Budget & Funding Rate
* Maximum EU contribution per grant: €39 000 000.
* Indicative funding rate: up to 100 % of eligible costs for research actions (actual-cost Model Grant Agreement – EDF-AG).
* Co-funding is allowed and can strengthen “Impact” scoring, but is not compulsory.
Project Duration & Timing
* Typical duration: 36–48 months.
* Call opens: 18 Feb 2025 – Deadline: 16 Oct 2025, 17:00 (Brussels).
* Single-stage submission; evaluation & grant signature expected by Q2 2026.
Cost Eligibility Snapshot
* Personnel, equipment depreciation, consumables, sub-contracting, travel, data, security, dissemination & IP costs are eligible if:
* Budgeted in the Detailed Budget Table v1.41
* Incurred/recorded as actual costs (no unit or lump sums).
* In-kind contributions & non-profit margin rules apply as per EDF work programme.
Critical Compliance Points
* Export-controlled technology and ITAR-free supply chains must be addressed.
* All foreground generated will be subject to EDIDP/EDF ownership & transfer rules (Articles 19-22 EDF Regulation).
* A preliminary Project Security Classification Report (PSCR) is mandatory with the proposal.
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities of EDF-2025-RA-GROUND-CBC
1. Single Market Access (EU-27 + EDF Associated Countries)
• Immediate entrée into the world’s second-largest defence market (±€240 bn p.a.) without customs or licensing frictions among Member States.
• Possibility to field a common counter-battery family of systems that can be procured jointly under the EU Defence Joint Procurement Instrument (EDIRPA) and future European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP), multiplying order volumes and lowering unit cost.
• Access to EU Off-the-Shelf (EU-OTS) catalogue under the ASAP Regulation, accelerating adoption by armed forces.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
• EDF requires consortia of ≥3 entities from ≥3 Member/Associated States, creating natural industrial teaming between big-system integrators (e.g., KNDS, RWM Italia) and specialised SMEs (e.g., acoustic AI start-ups) across the Union.
• Facilitates use of European Defence Industrial Development (EDIDB) IP rules, enabling secure but shareable classified work via the EU Classified Infrastructure (EUCI) cloud.
• Access to the European Test & Evaluation Centres (ETEC) network for cross-validation of sensor concepts in diverse terrains (Baltic, Alpine, Mediterranean).
3. Alignment with EU Policy Objectives
3.1 Strategic Compass & EU Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS)
• Directly addresses the Compass’s “Counter-Fires Gap” and EDIS priority to reduce third-country dependence in critical defence technologies (radar, ESM, AI/ML).
3.2 Green Deal & Energy Resilience
• Mandate for low energetic signature & energy-efficient sensors dovetails with the Green Deal’s energy-efficiency targets and EDF’s climate mainstreaming (at least 20 % of budget should positively contribute).
3.3 Digital Europe & AI Leadership
• Optional AI-supported fusion/identification modules align with Digital Europe Programme objectives and can later be dual-used for civilian crisis-management applications (e.g., wildfire early warning via acoustic drones).
4. Regulatory Harmonisation & Standardisation Benefits
• Work can be channelled into the European Defence Standards Reference (EDSTAR) catalogue, paving the way for a single European MIL-STD for counter-battery data links (STANAG-compliant), easing cross-border operability.
• Support from the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) to integrate PRS-grade Galileo signals as GNSS alternative—common encryption keys managed at EU level reduce national certification loops.
5. Embeddedness in the EU Innovation Ecosystem
• Synergies with 3 000+ research organisations in the European Research Area; quick onboarding to the European Defence Innovation Hubs (HEDI) for access to high-TRL demonstrators and test ranges.
• Eligibility for EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities label if eco-design principles (low-power radar, recyclable UAV components) are incorporated—enhances ESG investment attractiveness.
6. Funding Synergies & Leverage
• Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry & Space) topics on “radar metamaterials” and Cluster 3 security calls on “disruptive RF sensing” can provide extra TRL jumps pre- or post-EDF.
• European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition (€2.5 m grants) to spin out dual-use SMEs emerging from the project.
• European Space Agency CASSINI Defence Accelerator can fund SatCom-based data relay augmenting CBC range to 500 km.
• Access to the InvestEU “Security & Defence” window for scaling production facilities once TRL 6 is achieved.
7. Pan-European Scale & Market Impact
• Estimated aggregate demand: >1 000 counter-battery sensor nodes across EU armies (based on EDA 2023 Capability Development Plan). A single interoperable solution offers €4–6 bn market potential.
• Export facilitation via EU-negotiated Framework Participation Agreements with Norway, US, and third-country partners under the EU–NATO Joint Declaration.
• By consolidating fragmented national R&T, the project can halve development time (5→2.5 years) and bring the first fully European 200-km CBC suite to market ahead of US & Asian competitors.
8. Consultant’s Recommendations to Maximise EU Value-Add
1. Build a balanced consortium: at least one prime from an artillery-heavy Member State (DE, FR, PL), sensor SMEs from Nordic/Baltic countries (acoustic know-how), and a Southern partner for optronics (ES/IT).
2. Embed an EDA CapTech Counter-Battery observer to streamline future Cat-B or PESCO follow-on.
3. Map deliverables to upcoming NATO STANAG 4875 rev. to guarantee trans-Atlantic interoperability while keeping EU IP sovereignty.
4. Exploit Digital Europe cloud federation vouchers to ensure data-sovereign AI training under the GAIA-X framework.
5. Reserve ≥5 % of the budget for circular-economy design studies to qualify for Green Deal financing bonuses and lower lifecycle costs.
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By leveraging the integrated EU defence market, harmonised standards, and a dense innovation ecosystem, EDF-2025-RA-GROUND-CBC offers unmatched opportunities to develop a sovereign, export-ready counter-battery capability that no single Member State could achieve alone.
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