Given the magnitude of the task and the shortage of research funding at national level, Member States are rightly seeking synergies and cost benefits from collaborative projects at European level, notably through EDA. The Agency identifies promising innovation and supports the Member States through leading cooperation or project management.
IDENTIFY PROMISSING INNOVATION IN DEFENCE
To identify technology gaps and areas where countries can work together, EDA and the EU Member States jointly produce the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA). This report is EDA’s R&T planning tool that provides a shared vision of the most important technical challenges for defence research at the European level. It supports Member States in turning military needs into research priorities, developing new technologies, and ensuring that Europe remains technologically and operationally strong in future security environments.
A complementary tool is the Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDT) Action Plan. It provides insights into new trends and emerging technologies, supporting Member States’ decisions in the field to improve national military capabilities.
PROJECTS: COLLABORATION AND FUNDING
With its specialised Capability Technology Groups (‘CapTechs’) composed of national experts, industry and research organisations, EDA offers Member States a tailor-made platform where they can voluntarily engage in collaborative defence research projects 15 CapTechs were active at the beginning of 2026.
Since its creation in 2004, EDA has managed over 280 R&T projects, worth over €1,4 billion.
EDA also supports Member States in making best use of EU funding programmes for defence-related research. As of 2021, the Agency implements, as Granting Authority, 42 EDF projects entrusted by the European Commission annually. These are medium-scale projects led by SMEs and research organisations and specifically dedicated to defence innovation, targeting disruptive technologies and solutions within cross-border defence innovation networks.
The Agency’s Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI) accelerates EU defence innovation from early research to capability adoption. It is fully integrated into the EU capability development cycle, focusing on technology scouting, maturation, and operational experimentation. HEDI fosters collaboration across Member States, industry, and academia while accelerating the uptake of cutting-edge solutions. Under HEDI, the Agency coordinates operational experimentation campaigns (OPEX) that allow Member States, innovators and businesses to test new machines and technologies in real-world operational conditions.