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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to revolutionize naval operations by fostering the design, prototyping, and testing of a digital platform and a multidomain naval combat cloud. The core objective is to enhance the speed of naval operations, improve interoperability, and ensure the strategic autonomy of European naval capabilities. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant focused on defense and naval technology, targeting entities that can develop advanced digital solutions for naval forces within EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries.

Financial Structure

Total budget for this specific topic is 54,000,000 EUR.
Funding is provided as 'actual cost grants'.
Co-financing is required, as indicated by the 'Cofinancing declaration (EDF DA, DA LS AND ASAP)' document listed, but the specific percentage is not stated in the provided text.
Indirect cost policies are subject to the 'Actual indirect cost methodology declaration' requirement.
Financial guarantees and specific payment schedules are not detailed in the provided information.

Eligibility Requirements

General Eligibility

Organizations must comply with the conditions described in section 6 of the call document, which were not provided in detail.
Financial and operational capacity requirements are described in section 7 of the call document (not provided).
Exclusion criteria are also described in section 7 of the call document (not provided).

Geographic Location

Eligible entities must be established in an EU Member State or an EDF Associated Country. Specific cloud service providers used must also be established, owned, and controlled in an EU Member State or EDF Associated Country.

Technical Competencies

Demonstrated capacity for Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is essential.
Expertise in cybersecurity, including Data Centric/Dynamic Zero-Trust Security, is required.
Capability to develop and implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data techniques for naval applications.
Experience in integrating various 'Systems of the Ship' (SOTS) and designing modular, scalable, and flexible digital architectures.

Application Process

The application period opens on February 18, 2025, and submissions are handled via a single-stage model.
Proposals must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
The submission system requires authentication, typically through EU Login.

Key Deadlines

Submission Deadline: October 16, 2025, at 00:00:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Required Documentation

Call document and annexes (to be provided shortly).
Standard application form (specific to this call, available in the Submission System).
Detailed budget table (EDF DA).
Participant information (EDF).
List of infrastructure, facilities, assets, and resources (EDF).
Cofinancing declaration (EDF DA, DA LS AND ASAP).
Actual indirect cost methodology declaration (EDF).
Harmonised capability declaration (EDF DA AND DA LS).
Declaration on procurement intent and common specifications (EDF DA AND DA LS).
Ownership control declaration.
PRS declaration (EDF).

Project Implementation and Deliverables

Mandatory activities include: studies, design, system prototyping, and testing.
Studies: Identify systems across EU navies, analyze required standards, define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), establish building blocks for combat cloud, review state-of-art, review Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
Design: Detail the system architecture, initiate multidomain naval combat cloud design.
System prototyping: Produce a prototype of the digital platform compatible with combat cloud functionalities.
Testing: Conduct extensive testing on the prototype to validate the solution.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in section 9 of the call document, which was not provided. However, the grant's objectives and expected impacts strongly suggest the following areas will be key for evaluation: Impact and Strategic Alignment

Contribution to accelerating the battle rhythm of naval operations.
Effectiveness in optimizing data communication (protocol, bandwidth, latency, throughput).
Potential to increase commonality, interoperability, and interchangeability among EU Member States' and EDF Associated Countries' naval systems and industries.
Capacity to reduce costs related to system development, upgrades, and in-service support.
Strengthening of the European naval capability landscape and promotion of EU's strategic autonomy in the naval sector.
Alignment with STEP objectives in deep and digital technologies.

Quality and Implementation

Robustness and innovativeness of the proposed digital platform and naval combat cloud architecture.
Feasibility and realism of the prototyping and testing plans.
Adherence to principles of resilience, security, sustainability, and interoperability by design.
Comprehensive consideration of cybersecurity aspects and new trends in cyber warfare.
Use of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and its effectiveness in providing a realistic testing environment for continuous integration.
Avoidance of unnecessary duplication with previous or ongoing EDIDP and EDF activities.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Legal Compliance

Proposals must comply with the EDF Regulation 2021/697.
Adherence to EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is mandatory.
Compliance with the EDF Programme Security Instruction (PSI) is required.
All cloud service providers used must be established in, and owned and controlled by, EU Member States or EDF Associated Countries or entities.

Technical Standards and Requirements

Solutions must demonstrate resilience against undesirable events (e.g., combat damages, cyber-attacks).
Security measures against cyber and physical threats are paramount.
Emphasis on sustainability, including operational availability, obsolescence management, resource optimization, and adaptability for future technologies.
Interoperability with existing or future cloud-based infrastructures is crucial.
The digital platform must be modular, scalable, flexible, and adaptable to end-user requirements.
Integration of functionalities like Combat System, Platform Control, Navigation, Communication, Cyber-systems, or Digital Twin is expected.

Strategic Considerations

Projects should seek to avoid unnecessary duplication with prior or ongoing activities under EDIDP and EDF, specifically mentioning topics like EDF-2021-NAVAL-R-DSSDA, EDF-2021-NAVAL-R-SSHM, EDF-2021-DIGIT-D-MDOC, EDF-2022-DA-NAVAL-NCS, and EDF-2024-DA-NAVAL-FNP.
The grant contributes to the 'Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)' objectives, focusing on deep and digital technologies.

Grant Details