Advanced underwater networks

GRANT PURPOSE AND TARGET

Core Objective

The grant's core objective is to fund the development of a new generation of Unmanned Underwater Super Systems (UUSS) and networks for defence applications. The project aims to advance these systems and their subsystems to a high technology maturity level (up to TRL 7, potentially TRL 8) and demonstrate their capabilities in an operational seawater environment.

Funding Organization

European Commission, through the European Defence Fund (EDF).

Target Recipients

Eligible applicants are legal entities (such as companies, including SMEs and mid-caps, universities, and research organisations) established in EU Member States or EDF Associated Countries (e.g., Norway). Applications must be submitted by a consortium.

Sector Focus

This grant is SECTOR-SPECIFIC, targeting the defence industry. Key technological areas include:
* Unmanned Systems: Specifically Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs).
* Maritime Technology: Including Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Seabed Warfare (SBW), and Mine Countermeasures (MCM).
* Telecommunications: Development of advanced underwater communication networks.
* Robotics and AI: Systems for autonomous operations, data analysis, and decision support.

Geographic Scope

Projects must be carried out by consortia of entities from EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. Cross-border cooperation is a key evaluation criterion.

Key Filtering Criteria

• Project Focus: Must be on developing advanced unmanned underwater systems and networks.
• Technology Readiness Level (TRL): The goal is to reach TRL 7-8 for systems/sub-systems.
• Consortium: A consortium of multiple partners from different eligible countries is required.
• Project Activities: Proposals must include mandatory activities like studies, design, prototyping, and integrating existing knowledge.

FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

Funding Range

• Total Topic Budget: The available budget for this topic is €25,000,000.
• Grant Amount Per Project: The minimum or maximum funding amount per individual project is not specified in the provided materials.

Co-financing

• Requirement: For EDF Development Actions, co-financing is generally expected. Proposals must include co-financing declarations from entities providing funds (e.g., Member States).
• Impact on Evaluation: The coherence and credibility of co-financing plans are assessed as part of the 'Implementation' evaluation criterion.

Eligible Costs

• Direct Costs: The grant can cover costs directly related to the project activities, including:
  • Personnel costs.
  • Subcontracting costs.
  • Purchase costs, such as travel and subsistence, equipment (depreciation or full cost depending on call specifics), and other goods, works, and services.
• Indirect Costs: An indirect cost flat-rate of 25% of the eligible direct costs is typically applied. Alternatively, participants may use their actual indirect costs if their accounting practices allow.
• VAT: VAT is listed as an eligible cost.

Ineligible Costs

• Double Funding: Costs already financed by another EU grant are strictly ineligible.
• Other specific ineligible costs will be defined in the Grant Agreement.

Payment & Reporting

• Grant Form: Budget-based Action Grant.
• Payment Schedule: Payments are linked to reporting and typically follow this structure:
  • An initial pre-financing payment upon the start of the project.
  • Interim payments (or additional pre-financing) based on periodic technical and financial reports.
  • A final payment upon approval of the final project report.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Formal Criteria

• Consortium Composition: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of eligible entities. Based on standard EDF rules, this typically means at least three eligible entities from at least three different EU Member States or EDF associated countries.
• Eligible Countries: Applicants must be legal entities established in an EU Member State or an EDF Associated Country (e.g., Norway).
• Legal Entity: Applicants must be validated legal entities (public or private bodies). Natural persons are generally not the target for this type of action.

Organizational Status

• Type: Open to all types of legal entities, including public bodies, private companies (startups, SMEs, mid-caps, large enterprises), research and technology organisations, and universities.
• SME & Mid-cap Participation: The participation of SMEs and mid-caps is strongly encouraged and may lead to a higher funding rate (bonus).

Technical Expertise

• Required Skills: Consortia must demonstrate expertise in relevant fields, including:
  • Underwater vehicle design and operation.
  • Manned-unmanned teaming and swarm technologies.
  • Underwater communication, navigation, and sensor systems (sonar, optical).
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for data analysis and decision support.
  • Defence systems integration and certification.

Exclusion Criteria

• Applicants must not be subject to exclusion grounds under the EU Financial Regulation.
• The project's background intellectual property and its results must not be subject to control or restrictions by a non-associated third country or entity.
• The development of lethal autonomous weapons without the possibility for meaningful human control over strike decisions against humans is prohibited.
• The project must not cover the development of products or technologies prohibited by international law.

APPLICATION PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Deadlines

• Submission Deadline: 16 October 2025, 00:00:00 UTC (which is 02:00 Brussels time).
• Application Opening: The submission system opens on 18 February 2025.

Required Documents

Applicants must submit a comprehensive proposal package via the portal, which includes:
* Application Form (Part A and Part B): Part A is filled online; Part B is a narrative description to be uploaded.
* Detailed Budget Table: An Excel file detailing the project costs.
* Participant Information: Details on each consortium member.
* Declarations: A series of mandatory declarations, including:
* Co-financing Declaration
* Declaration on Procurement Intent and Common Specifications
* Ownership Control Declaration
* Declarations on cost methodologies, PRS access, etc.

Application Process

• Platform: Applications must be prepared and submitted online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Format: The narrative part of the application (Part B) and all annexes must be bundled into a single, password-protected ZIP archive for upload.
• Procedure: This is a single-stage call.

Support

• Type of Support: The primary support is financial, in the form of a grant covering a percentage of eligible project costs.
• Contact: For questions related to the call, applicants can contact DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu.
• Resources: The Funding & Tenders Portal provides an Online Manual, FAQs, and an IT Helpdesk.

Post-Award Obligations

• Consortium Agreement: The consortium must sign a Consortium Agreement to govern their internal collaboration.
• Reporting: Beneficiaries are required to submit continuous and periodic reports on technical progress and financial expenditure through the portal.
• Audits and Reviews: The European Commission may conduct reviews and audits for up to five years after the final payment.
• Record-keeping: Beneficiaries must keep records and supporting documentation for the same period.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be assessed against a set of criteria focused on the project's contribution to EU defence capabilities and industrial competitiveness. The evaluation is structured around the following key areas:

Scoring Factors

1. Excellence and Potential of Disruption: Soundness of the concept and methodology. The advantage the project offers over existing defence products or technologies at a strategic, technological, or operational level.
2. Innovation and Technological Development: The project's innovation potential, use of novel concepts, and complementarity with previous R&D activities, avoiding duplication. The potential for technology spin-offs to other defence applications is also considered.
3. Competitiveness: The foreseen competitive advantage of the product/technology, considering performance and cost-efficiency. The project's potential to accelerate the growth of European companies in the global defence market.
4. EDTIB Autonomy: The extent to which the project contributes to the autonomy of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) by reducing dependency on non-EU countries and strengthening the security of supply.
5. Creation of New Cross-Border Cooperation: The project's ability to create new cross-border cooperation, particularly involving SMEs and mid-caps, and the added value they bring.
6. Lifecycle Efficiency: How the solution improves efficiency across its lifecycle (production, operation, maintenance, disposal) compared to existing solutions.
7. Member State Cooperation: The commitment from Member States to jointly use, own, or maintain the final product or technology, and the project's contribution to increasing cooperation potential.
8. Implementation Quality: The effectiveness of the work plan, the composition and cooperation within the consortium, project management structures, quality assurance, risk management, and cost-effectiveness.

Innovation & Impact

• Novelty: Proposals should demonstrate groundbreaking concepts, new technological improvements, or the application of technologies not previously used in the defence sector.
• Impact: The expected outcomes should contribute to enhanced security for EU Member States, the development of common interoperable standards, avoidance of technology duplication, and an overall improvement in the EU's strategic competitiveness and autonomy.

Project Quality

• Feasibility: Assessed through the work plan's effectiveness, the allocation of resources, the consortium's setup, and the risk management strategy.
• Methodology: The overall concept and approach must be sound and well-defined.

Strategic Fit

• The project must align with defence capability priorities agreed upon by Member States within the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), particularly the Capability Development Plan (CDP).

Cross-cutting Themes

• SME & Mid-cap bonus: A higher funding rate may be awarded based on the level of cross-border participation of SMEs and/or mid-caps in the consortium.

COMPLIANCE AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Regulatory Compliance

• Ethics: Proposals must undergo an ethics self-assessment covering issues such as human participation, personal data protection, animal welfare, environmental impact, and Artificial Intelligence. All activities must comply with relevant EU and national laws.
• Security: As a defence grant, projects are subject to security scrutiny. This includes the handling of EU Classified Information (EUCI) and information subject to national security restrictions. A security self-assessment is required.

IP Policy

• Background and Results: Beneficiaries must ensure that the intellectual property (background) needed for the project and the results generated are not subject to control or restrictions by a non-associated third country or entity.
• Specific Rules: Annex 5 of the Model Grant Agreement outlines detailed rules on IPR, access rights, and rights of use specific to EDF actions.

Unique Aspects

• Ownership Control: Participants are subject to an ownership control assessment to ensure they are not controlled by non-EU countries or entities. This is a critical eligibility condition for restricted calls.
• STEP Contribution: This topic is identified as contributing to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), aiming to boost investments in critical deep and digital technologies.
• Link to Procurement: The project is a 'Development Action' intended to lead to a tangible product or technology. Member States are encouraged to declare their intent to procure the final result, which is a factor in evaluation.

Industry-Specific Rules

• Defence Sector: The project must adhere to the legal and regulatory frameworks of the European defence sector.
• PRS Access: If the project requires access to the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS), applicants must obtain authorization from their national Competent PRS Authority.