EC designates €160 million for security projects by industry
8971 Min Read
The European Commission launched a €160 million call for proposals for joint defence industrial projects in 2020. The Commission is looking to fund projects in 12 different defence categories including preventive and therapeutic immunotherapy that would help against future pandemic outbreaks such as the coronavirus the world is facing today.
The Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, explained the strategy and said that all EU programmes are being mobilised to support European companies: “We are also preparing for the future. With the joint development of defence technologies, we are making Europe more resilient and strengthening our industrial base.”
The programme is primarily targeted at industry, but it also includes incentives for SMEs. In fact, €10 million have been set aside for “future-oriented defence solutions” proposed by small and medium-sized businesses.
The projects will be financed by the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), which have a combined budget of €590 million for the years up to 2020.
The programmes are earmarked to be incorporated into the European Defence Fund announced in 2017. The multi-billion fund that will allocate part of the EU budget to common Research & Development projects in the sector of defence.
