The European Union is changing its approach to funding the defence sector. The Council of the EU has officially adopted the regulation for the new AGILE (Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation) programme with a total budget of €115 million. The main objective of this initiative is to break traditional European bureaucracy—where years passed between technology development and procurement—and shorten the path from innovation to operational deployment in the armed forces to a few months.
For Ukrainian tech companies, AGILE represents a unique window of opportunity, as the programme was developed taking into account Ukraine's needs, and its terms are tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises. The first official calls for proposals will launch at the beginning of 2027.
Financial Model and Key Differences from Other EU Programmes
Most European defence programmes require complex multi-country consortia and lengthy application reviews that often stretch for 12–18 months. AGILE is built on a completely different logic:
- Grants can fully cover 100% of the project's eligible budget without requiring external investments or co-funding.
- The target timeframe from the application deadline to the grant agreement signature is around 4 months.
- Companies from Ukraine, the EU, and EEA-EFTA countries can apply individually, without the need to assemble large international consortia.
- Supported products are expected to reach military units within 1 to 3 years.
Technologies the EU is Looking For
Mission-driven challenges are formulated jointly with military authorities of EU Member States, Ukraine, and the defence industry. The focus is placed on critical and disruptive technologies that have already proven their relevance on the battlefield:
- Robotic complexes and autonomous systems across air, land, and sea domains, interoperable platforms, and drone swarms.
- Electronic warfare (EW) and electronic intelligence (ELINT/SIGINT) tools for detecting, jamming, and protecting against enemy UAVs and communications.
- Artificial intelligence algorithms, computer vision, autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, and automated target recognition.
- Optoelectronic systems, thermal imaging equipment, and lightweight radar systems.
- Encrypted data transmission channels, as well as jam-resistant satellite and radio-modem communication links.
Official requirements regarding the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) will be published alongside the call documentation. However, an analysis of the programme's specifics indicates that projects with a TRL 5 or higher stand the best chance—meaning developments that already have a working prototype tested in relevant or real combat conditions.
Integration into the European Defence Ecosystem
The primary value of AGILE for Ukrainian developers lies not only in non-repayable R&D funding, but also in systemic opportunities to enter the NATO and EU markets:
- Simplified testing and certification procedures for products at specialized test facilities across EU countries through fast-track access to testing grounds.
- Dedicated matchmaking sessions for direct contact between small developers (SMEs) and large European defence primes, such as Rheinmetall, BAE Systems, or Leonardo.
- Creation of simplified procurement mechanisms that will allow defence authorities of EU Member States to purchase tested solutions through an accelerated procedure.
Practical Preparation Plan: What to Do Before the Call Opens
The beginning of 2027 may seem like a distant perspective, but only at first glance. Given the high competition and the short application window once the terms are published, preparation should start now.
- Gather and organize all technical evidence proving your technology's functionality: official laboratory and field test protocols, performance measurement reports, state or internal test certificates.
- Describe the tactical and technical advantages of your product using concrete metrics: what specific operational task the technology solves, in which environmental and electronic conditions it operates, and how it surpasses existing market alternatives.
- Systematize feedback from battlefield operators, data on confirmed effectiveness, jam resistance, and reliability in active combat operations.
- Clearly identify what your product lacks for a full-scale entry into the EU market: whether it requires additional testing, adaptation to STANAG standards, development of a specific software module, or scaling up manufacturing capacity.
- Develop a preliminary 12–24 month project schedule broken down into stages, with measurable key performance indicators (KPIs), necessary equipment, and required personnel. Having a detailed cost estimate will allow you to adapt your project to the call guidelines in just a few days.
- Review the status of your intellectual property rights (patent applications, trademarks, software copyright), company ownership structure, and the team's ability to maintain financial and technical reporting according to European standards.
Detailed call documentation, specific technical topics, and evaluation criteria will be published by the European Commission closer to the call launch. You can track updates on the official portal of the European Commission.