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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to develop a 'Multi-Disciplinary design and Analysis Framework for Aerial Systems' utilizing Digital Twin (DT) technologies. This framework aims to enhance military aerial system design, improve lifecycle management, and facilitate certification processes for complex, high-fidelity aerial systems. - Target recipient: Collaborative consortia of legal entities (public or private bodies) established in EU Member States or EDF Associated Countries. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Defence, Aerospace. - Geographic scope: EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. - Key filtering criteria: Focus on Digital Twin and System of Systems (SoS) DT for military aerial systems, mandatory consortium requirement, and European establishment. - Grant frequency: Part of the European Defence Fund (EDF) 2025 Work Programme, indicating recurring opportunities. - Program context: This grant falls under the European Defence Fund's research actions, specifically targeting advanced defence capabilities.

Financial Structure

The total budget for this specific topic (EDF-2025-RA-SIMTRAIN-DAFAS) is EUR 28,000,000.
Funding is provided through 'actual cost grants'.
Research Actions (RA) are reimbursed at a funding rate of 100.0%.
Equipment costs are reimbursed based on 'depreciation only'.
Indirect cost policies: Applicants may use actual indirect cost methodology declarations; otherwise, a default flat rate (in accordance with Article 15(1) of the EDF Regulation) will apply.
No specific minimum or maximum grant amount per project is stated in the provided documents.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Eligible applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies).
Natural persons are not eligible, with the exception of self-employed persons (sole traders where the company does not have a separate legal personality).
International organizations are not eligible, unless their members are exclusively EU Member States or EDF associated countries, and their executive management structure is in an EU Member State or EDF associated country.
Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided their representatives can undertake legal obligations on their behalf and offer guarantees for the protection of EU financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
Associations and interest groupings may participate as 'sole beneficiaries' or 'beneficiaries without legal personality'; if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities).

Consortium Composition

Proposals must be submitted by a minimum of 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or an EDF associated country.
Applicants' executive management structure must be established in eligible countries.

Control and Exclusion

Applicants must not be subject to control by a non-associated third country or non-associated third-country entity, unless they can provide guarantees approved by the Member State or EDF associated country where they are established.
Subcontractors involved in the action and associated partners must also comply with these establishment and control conditions.
Entities subject to EU restrictive measures (under Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)) are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Entities subject to EU conditionality measures (EU Regulation 2020/2092, currently impacting Hungarian public interest trusts) are not eligible to participate in any funded role.

Eligible Activities

Applications will only be considered eligible if their content corresponds wholly (or at least in part) to the topic description.
Mandatory eligible activities for this topic ('EDF-2025-RA-SIMTRAIN-DAFAS') include: 'Studies' and 'Design' activities.
Activities that are not eligible for this topic: 'System prototyping', 'Testing', 'Qualification', 'Certification', and 'Development of technologies or assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies'.

Application Process

Key Dates

Call opening: 2025-02-18
Submission deadline: 2025-10-16 17:00:00+02:00 (Central European Summer Time, Brussels)
Evaluation period: October 2025 - April 2026
Information on evaluation results: April 2026
Grant Agreement (GA) signature: By 2026-12-31

Submission Procedure

Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System; paper submissions are not possible.
Applicants must use the forms provided inside the Submission System.
Applications must be complete and include all requested information and mandatory annexes.
Mandatory annexes include:
- Detailed budget table/calculator (EDF RA)
- Participant information (including previous projects, if any)
- List of infrastructure, facilities, assets, and resources
- Actual indirect cost methodology declarations (if actual indirect costs are used)
- Ownership control declarations (for beneficiaries, associated partners, and subcontractors involved in the action)
- PRS declaration (if the project requires access to Galileo PRS information)
Failure to provide all mandatory annexes in the requested format by the deadline may lead to inadmissibility or participant ineligibility.
Amounts entered in the online summarized budget table must correspond to the detailed budget table; online amounts will prevail in case of discrepancies.
Applicants must confirm the mandate to act for all participants and verify the correctness and completeness of the application.
Proposals (Part B) are limited to a maximum of 100 pages, including work package descriptions; additional pages will not be considered by evaluators.

Post-Submission

Further documents (e.g., for legal entity validation, financial capacity checks, bank account validation) may be requested at a later stage.
Before signing the grant agreement, each beneficiary and affiliated entity will be required to sign a declaration of honour (DoH).

Application Assistance

Support for this call is available via email at [email protected], EDF Info-days 2025, the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ (specifically on submission of proposals), the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria Categories (Refer to Call Document Section 9 for full details)

The call document (section 9) outlines the detailed award criteria, scoring, and thresholds. Applicants must consult the full call document for precise scoring factors.
Typically, evaluation criteria for EDF research actions focus on:
- Excellence: Soundness of the concept, quality of proposed research, methodology, and innovation potential.
- Impact: Contribution to the objectives of the European Defence Fund (EDF), expected societal, economic, and technological impacts, and the strategy for exploitation and dissemination of results.
- Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, appropriate allocation of resources, quality of the consortium (expertise, complementarity), and management structures.

Innovation and Technology Focus

Emphasis on Digital Twins (DT) and System of Systems (SoS) DT for complex aerial systems.
Integration of AI and Machine Learning for coherent data analysis, storage, discovery, and predictive analytics.
Adoption of Hybrid modelling approaches, Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE), and model validation frameworks.
Development of robust reference architectures for effective information exchange, simulation coordination, and security.

Impact Expectations

Enhance operational superiority and lifecycle management of military aerial systems.
Enable breakthroughs in integrated mission management, systems diagnosis, and predictive maintenance.
Ensure safer platforms, increased equipment reliability, endurance, and reduced maintenance costs.
Facilitate the validation and incorporation of new technologies throughout the platform lifecycle.
Enable early risk reduction and digital system maturation to minimize development time and costs.
Enhance the effectiveness of coordination with Military Airworthiness Authorities.
Allow EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries' air forces to remotely configure customized platforms and assess operational effect.
Revolutionize aerial system design and certification, leading to improved system efficiency and reduced costs.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must comply with the EU Financial Regulation (Regulation 2024/2509) and the European Defence Fund (EDF) Regulation (Regulation 2021/697).
Compliance with ethical and security considerations is required, as described in section 6 of the call document.

Data Protection and Security

Information exchange within the framework must be secured against cyber threats.
Data, both during transfer and storage, must be secured, considering technologies such as encryption, access control, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), or blockchain.
Proposals must explicitly address data ownership, sovereignty, and sharing concepts to ensure effective management and protection of critical data assets.
The digital architecture of Digital Twin (DT) solutions must incorporate design principles to maximize security against cyber and physical threats, ensuring the safety of the infrastructure itself.

Technical Standards and Methodologies

Development of a robust reference architecture is essential to manage the complexities of exchanging, sharing, and reusing information across diverse systems and nations.
The framework should improve standardizations, implement middleware solutions, and develop data catalogues for effective information exchange.
Creation of a federated architecture, data orchestration, and cross-domain ontologies is required for the coordination and enrichment of simulations.
Proposals must address managing large volumes of heterogeneous data, handling high-resolution sensor data, and ensuring data quality and consistency.
The use of cloud storage for raw and structured data, big data analysis, metadata management, and the application of AI and Machine Learning for data cleaning, integration, and predictive analytics are expected.
Development and validation of models should consider hybrid modelling approaches, model validation frameworks, continuous learning, and collaborative platforms.
Emphasis is placed on Modular Design, Scalability, and Standardisation for the System of Systems (SoS) DT.
The architecture should utilize open standards for hardware, software, and infrastructure; implement modern Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles; employ Modelling and Simulation as a Service (MSaaS) standards; and adopt a DT as a Service (DTaaS) approach.
Interoperability with NATO and national systems (e.g., HLA/DIS/BOM), for both military and civilian applications, must be ensured.
Incorporation of a Verification and Validation (V&V) concept to define processes and quality standards, standardize documentation, and ensure independent and transparent model validation.
Development of a comprehensive data catalogue structure aligned with international standards (ISO/TS 16952, EN 61346-2, and EN 81346-2) is required.

Unique Aspects / Strategic Opportunities

The grant focuses on applying Digital Twin technologies across the entire lifecycle of military aerial systems, from design and development to operation and maintenance.
A key challenge to address is the interoperability of DTs in a global context.
Proposals should explore the DT potential in non-technical areas, such as managing cost overruns, reporting progress, and coordinating multi-national capabilities.
A mandatory consortium composition applies, requiring a minimum of 3 independent applicants from 3 different eligible countries.
Selected projects may be managed by entrusted entities such as the European Defence Agency (EDA) or the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d’Armement (OCCAR).
The call encourages the elaboration of recommendations for a European Defence (Aircraft Simulation) DT Model Office to share generic models, improving development speed and interoperability.

Grant Details