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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to enhance and develop advanced multi-national collaborative land combat capabilities, specifically including air-land integration. This is achieved through high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) development and demonstration, aiming for TRL>7 for existing functions and TRL 7 for new capabilities. The grant targets organizations involved in defense technology and development. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on defense. The geographic scope includes EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. Key filtering criteria for initial screening are that proposals must address collaborative land combat, aim for high TRL (TRL>7), and involve multinational collaboration. This grant is part of the EDF 2025 Annual Work Programme, suggesting recurring opportunities for similar topics within the European Defence Fund.

Financial Structure

The total budget allocated for this specific topic ('EDF-2025-DA-GROUND-LCC-STEP') for 2025 is 44,000,000 EUR.
Specific minimum or maximum grant amounts per individual project are not explicitly stated; funding is provided as 'EDF Action Grant Budget-Based'.
Co-financing is a requirement, as indicated by the need for a 'Cofinancing declaration'. The exact percentage is not specified in the provided text.
Eligible activities are 'Development Actions' as per Article 10(3) of the EDF Regulation, which include: activities integrating knowledge, studies (e.g., feasibility studies), design, system prototyping, testing, qualification, certification, and development of technologies/assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle.
Ineligible activities explicitly mentioned are 'Activities that aim to create, underpin and improve knowledge, products and technologies, including disruptive technologies, which can achieve significant effects in the area of defence (generating knowledge)'.
Indirect costs will be handled based on an 'Actual indirect cost methodology declaration' that applicants must submit.
Details regarding payment schedules, financial reporting, and audit requirements are referenced to sections 7 and 10 of the full call document and the 'EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509'.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type and Structure

Eligible organization types are not explicitly defined as SME or Startup, but are implied to be entities capable of defense research and development (R&D) and technology integration.
Consortiums or partnerships are strongly implied as necessary for successful application due to the focus on 'multi-national collaborative' projects and 'coalition relevant environment'.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be from EU Member States or EDF Associated Countries. This list is not fully specified in the provided documents, but typically includes:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Project and Technical Maturity

Projects must aim to bring existing collaborative functions to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) greater than 7 (TRL>7) and improve operational performance.
New collaborative capabilities must be developed to TRL 7 through additional studies, prototyping, and demonstrations in the operational environment.
Proposals must cover at least the following tasks: develop key enabling technologies; implement coordinated architectural frameworks; analyze applicable standards; analyze current defense and industrial Test and Evaluation (T&E) capabilities; and specify/realize incremental real-world key demonstrations, including defining operational scenarios.

Compliance and Declarations

Applicants must submit a 'Cofinancing declaration'.
Applicants must submit an 'Actual indirect cost methodology declaration'.
Applicants must submit a 'Harmonised capability declaration'.
Applicants must submit a 'Declaration on procurement intent and common specifications'.
Applicants must submit an 'Ownership control declaration'.
Applicants must submit a 'PRS declaration'.

Application Process

Application Submission

The submission deadline for proposals is 2025-10-16 00:00:00+0000 (UTC).
Proposals must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
The submission procedure is a 'single-stage' process.

Required Documentation

Applicants must prepare and submit the following materials:
Standard application form (EDF), which is specific to this call and 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).

Support & Guidance

For questions related to this call, applicants can contact [email protected].
Technical support for submission issues (e.g., forgotten passwords, access rights) is available via the IT Helpdesk.
The 'Online Manual' provides a step-by-step guide through the portal processes.
'EDF Info-days 2025' may offer additional information and guidance.

Evaluation Timeline

An indicative timeline for evaluation and the grant agreement process is described in section 4 of the call document, which should be consulted for detailed dates (not provided in the given text).

Evaluation Criteria

Technical Excellence & Innovation

Proposals should demonstrate the introduction of 'new innovative collaborative combat technologies and capabilities'.
Projects are expected to achieve high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL>7 for existing functions, TRL 7 for new capabilities) through prototyping and demonstrations.
Integration of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), 5G, satellite communications, edge computing, and cloud-native architectures is crucial.
Solutions must include robust, flexible, and secure communication frameworks, cybersecurity detection and prevention functions.

Impact & Strategic Relevance

The project's outcome should enable agile, secure network- and data-centric operations for joint military functions in the land domain.
Expected to contribute to building a credible, interoperable fighting force in terms of land combat capability.
Solutions must address emerging and future capability needs of several EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries with maximum commonality and modularity.
Projects should contribute to increasing the strategic autonomy of the EU concerning technologies and products.
The call contributes to the STEP objectives, specifically in the target investment area of deep and digital technologies.

Quality of Implementation & Management

Proposals must substantiate synergies and complementarity with activities in the field of land collaborative combat, notably those described in the call topic 'EDF-2022-DA-GROUND-CGC'.
Adherence to and consideration of applicable standards, including EDSTAR platform 'Best-Practice' Standards, NATO STANAGs (e.g., 4754 Generic Vehicle Architecture, 4822 Land DAS Architectures), ESSOR coalition waveforms, and FMN spiral specifications, is expected.
Clear definition of operational scenarios consistent with participating EU Member States' and EDF Associated Countries' needs, and planned field demonstrations on multiple relevant national and multinational platforms, are important.
The project plan must demonstrate careful consideration of the ethical implications concerning the employment of AI and Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), and compliance with legislation used for military application.
Robust risk management, security measures, and data protection throughout the project lifecycle are implied.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must adhere to relevant national regulations concerning the sharing of information, software, and algorithms, especially in a multinational context.
Compliance with the 'EDF Regulation 2021/697' and 'EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509' is mandatory.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

Explicit consideration of the ethical implications regarding the employment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), and applicable legislation for military applications, is required.

Technical Standards and Interoperability

Proposed solutions should be compatible with NATO ADatP-34 NISP (Federated Mission Networking - FMN spiral specifications).
It is recommended to use the EDSTAR platform to facilitate development with 'Best-Practice' Standards.
The project should include additional enabling standards such as NATO STANAG 4754 (Generic Vehicle Architecture - NGVA) and 4822 (Land DAS Architectures for sensor data), and European Secure Software defined Radio (ESSOR) coalition waveforms.
A strong emphasis is placed on ensuring 'native interoperability up to the enterprise level' between all relevant platforms (e.g., command post, vehicular, dismounted).

Data and Cybersecurity

Proposals must ensure secure information sharing between entities on the battlefield through a robust, flexible, and secure communication framework.
Secured production and exchange of data are critical requirements.
Solutions must include cybersecurity detection and prevention functions.

Project Specifics

This call contributes to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) objectives, specifically targeting investments in deep and digital technologies.
Technical solutions must be based on a common set of meta data, an agile architecture for various levels of integration, AI as integrated support, scalable architecture, control of electromagnetic and data signatures, standard interfaces, automated data fusion, and modern Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI).

Grant Details