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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to foster the development of 'great-depth enabling technologies' to improve monitoring, defence, and response capabilities for critical underwater infrastructure in Seabed Warfare (SBW) scenarios, focusing on deep waters up to 6000 meters. - Target recipient type: Organizations capable of advanced defence research and technology development. - Target recipient size: Not specified. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope: Technologies for global deep-water application, intended for EU defence capabilities. Eligible organizations are from EU Member States and associated countries (as per general EDF rules, not explicitly listed in this snippet). - Key filtering criteria: Focus on deep-water (200m-6000m) enabling technologies for Seabed Warfare, with an expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5. - Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the European Defence Fund's (EDF) 2025 Work Programme, part of a larger call on 'Research actions targeting disruptive technologies for defence'.

Financial Structure

Total budget for this topic: 23,000,000 EUR.
Minimum funding per project: Not specified.
Maximum funding per project: Not specified.
Currency: EUR.
Funding type: Lump Sum Grant (EDF-LS).
Co-financing: Not explicitly stated as a percentage, as this is a lump sum grant covering agreed activities.
Eligible costs: Costs related to 'Generating knowledge', 'Studies', 'Integrating knowledge', and 'Design' activities, as specified in the scope of the call.
Ineligible costs: Activities explicitly excluded under Art 10(3) EDF Regulation, such as system prototyping, testing, qualification, certification, and development of life cycle efficiency technologies.
Indirect cost policy: An 'Actual indirect cost methodology declaration (EDF)' is required.
Payment schedule: Not specified, typically milestone-based for lump sum grants.
Financial reporting: Details are described in section 10 of the call document and are part of the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Eligible organization types are not explicitly defined in the provided text, but typically include enterprises, research organizations, universities, and public bodies from EU Member States and associated countries involved in defence research and development.

Geographic Location

Eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document (not provided in this analysis), but are generally limited to EU Member States and associated countries participating in the European Defence Fund.

Technical Readiness Level (TRL)

Proposals are expected to reach technology readiness level (TRL) 5.

Exclusion Criteria

Proposals covering activities such as system prototyping, testing, qualification, certification, or development of technologies/assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies (activities e, f, g, h, i under Art 10(3) EDF Regulation) are not eligible for this topic.

Application Process

Application Deadline

Submission deadline: 2025-10-16 00:00:00+0000

Submission Process

Application procedure: Single-stage submission via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required documentation: Standard application form (EDF-specific), Detailed budget table (EDF LS RA), Participant information (EDF), List of infrastructure, facilities, assets and resources (EDF), Actual indirect cost methodology declaration (EDF), Ownership control declaration, and PRS declaration (EDF).
Submission format: Electronic submission through the designated portal.

Support for Applicants

Application assistance: Available via email ([email protected]), EDF Info-days 2025, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

Project Implementation

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Proposals are expected to reach TRL 5 by the end of the project.
Mandatory tasks: Proposals must cover activities categorized as 'Generating Knowledge' and 'Studies'.
Optional tasks: Proposals may also cover activities categorized as 'Integrating Knowledge' and 'Design'.

Reporting Obligations

Reporting requirements are detailed in the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement and within the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for ongoing projects.

Evaluation Criteria

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document, which is not provided in detail here. However, based on the scope, the following implicit criteria are crucial: Relevance and Impact

Quality and relevance of proposed technologies to deep-water (up to 6000m) Seabed Warfare (SBW) scenarios.
Potential for improving detection, reaction capabilities, and EU technological autonomy for critical seabed infrastructure protection.
Effectiveness of proposed solutions for monitoring and defending underwater critical assets.

Research and Innovation Quality

Strength of research activities in 'generating knowledge', including creation of numeric models, simulations, investigation of next-generation sensor technologies, multi-layered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and neutralisation solutions for underwater threats.
Quality of 'studies' exploring new or improved technologies for SBW, including feasibility studies, literature reviews, and market analysis.
Capacity to 'integrate knowledge' related to energy storage/generation, critical infrastructure self-diagnostics, and data fusion.
Quality of 'design' activities, including partial tests for risk reduction, research on new materials and technologies for harsh environments, autonomous navigation algorithms, energy autonomy solutions, and advanced Command and Control (C2) and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems.

Strategic Alignment

Demonstrated synergies and complementarity with existing or ongoing underwater warfare activities, such as EDF-2023-DA-UWW-ASW.
Clear identification of defence use cases and justification of the relevance of proposed technologies to these use cases.

Technical Requirements Fulfillment

Addressing functional requirements such as marinisation and miniaturisation of critical components, autonomous accurate underwater navigation, persistence solutions, and enhanced underwater communication in deep waters.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Adherence to EDF Regulation 2021/697 is mandatory.
Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is required.
Legal entity validation and financial capacity assessment are part of the process.

Technical & Operational Compliance

Projects must contribute to improving EU technological autonomy for critical seabed infrastructure protection.
Focus is exclusively on technologies applicable to deep waters (from 200 meters up to 6000 meters depth).
The expected outcome is a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5.
Emphasis on secured production and exchange of data is crucial.

Data Protection and Ethical Standards

Data protection and privacy regulations apply, as outlined in general Funding & Tenders Portal terms.
Ethical standards relevant to defence research and technology development must be adhered to.

Strategic Alignment & Synergies

Proposals should demonstrate and substantiate synergies and complementarity with existing, ongoing, or foreseen activities in the field of underwater warfare, such as the EDF-2023-DA-UWW-ASW call topic.
Projects are expected to identify clear defence use cases and provide justification for the relevance of the proposed technologies within these contexts.

Risk Management

The 'Design' phase of projects should include partial tests for risk reduction on specimens and/or demonstrators of technology in industrial or representative environments.

Grant Details