Introduction
The CapTech Simulation Technologies focuses on advancing the combination of simulation and computing technologies to support multi-domain defence operations, across air, land, maritime, space, and cyber. It brings together experts from EU Member States, industry, SMEs, research organisations, and academia to foster innovation and collaboration.
CapTech Simulation Technologies promotes cutting-edge research and technology (R&T) projects in areas such as digital twinning, drone swarming, Space engineering, human-centered training, manned-unmanned teaming, METOC and Space weather forecasting, quantum simulation, and sovereignty of foundational technologies for modelling and simulation. The CapTech connects with a wide network of research and technology communities and works closely with other European institutions and organisations.
Working in close synergy with other CapTechs, it acts as a bridge between Ministries of Defence and industry, supporting decision-making, strategic engineering, and concept development for the development of future European defence capabilities.
The CapTech Simulation Technologies meets three times per year. Additionally, EDA organise several thematic workshops per year in areas relevant to the CapTech’s agenda.
Technology Building Blocks
Technology Building Blocks (TBBs) are the specific technological focus areas that guide each CapTech’s activities and research priorities. Activities of the CapTech Simulation Technologies are currently structured around the following TBBs:
- Integrated Simulations for LVC and Wargaming: training and wargaming ecosystems, enabling interoperability, realism, and scalable multi-domain exercises.
- Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Integrated into Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Simulations: AI-driven models and big data pipelines to enhance decision support, predictive behaviours, and adaptive scenarios across strategy, operations, and tactical simulation.
- Immersive Technologies and Human Factors: improve human–system interaction, training realism, and ergonomic/operator performance assessment.
- Cyber Defence Simulation: Sovereign computing architectures with embedded cyber defence, ensuring trusted, resilient, and secure digital infrastructures for simulation and operational systems, including foundational technologies, sovereign tools, as well as standards for evolving technologies.
- Modelling and Simulation Services for System-of-Systems and Rapid Scenario Generation: Testbeds where physical hardware interacts with simulated counterparts, enabling system validation, digital twins, environmental modelling, and cost-efficient prototyping under realistic conditions.
- Quantum Simulation: accelerate complex simulations, from optimisation and logistics to secure communications and high-fidelity physical models.
- Simulation of Teaming and Swarming Behaviours for Multi-Domain Operations: Simulation environments for heterogeneous autonomous agents coordinating across air, land, sea, space, and cyber to study emergent behaviours, mission teaming, and resilience.
- Autonomous Systems Behaviour in Synthetic Environment: Analysis of the behaviour of autonomous and semi autonomous systems in synthetic environments, addressing the strategic vulnerability generated by growing asymmetry in the use of autonomous systems.
Link to EDA’s capability domains
R&T activities launched in CapTech Simulation Technologies can support all the militaries capabilities identified in the EDA’s Capability Development Plan, as well as all the priority capability areas identified in the Defence Readiness 2030 agenda.
Join the CapTech
CapTech National Coordinators (CNC) are appointed by Ministries of Defence and approve applications to join the group by Governmental Experts (CGEs) and non-Governmental Experts (CnGEs).
To become a CGE/CnGE member of the CapTech contact:
[email protected]