Zabala Innovation strengthens its leadership in the European Defence Fund

Zabala Innovation has established itself as one of the most effective players in the latest call of the European Defence Fund (EDF), held last year, having supported two proposals that were approved. In this way, in a context marked by increasing competition, the consultancy has achieved an overall success rate of 58% since the EDF was launched in 2021.

“We are very satisfied with these results because they confirm our team’s ability to adapt to a demanding and highly competitive programme,” explains Margherita Volpe, Head of Security, Space and Defence in European Projects at Zabala Innovation. “The technical and strategic complexity of EDF projects requires meticulous preparation and efficient coordination between multiple European partners,” she adds.

The 2024 edition of the EDF has mobilised €910 million with the aim of strengthening the technological and operational capabilities of the defence sector in Europe. Brussels has prioritised areas such as force mobility, the use of drones, and the development of disruptive technologies. In total, 297 proposals were submitted, of which 62 have been selected for funding.

The EDF seeks to encourage cross-border collaboration between companies and research institutions from Member States and Norway, while also promoting the inclusion of SMEs in the consortia. In the 2024 call, these small and medium-sized enterprises represent more than 38% of the participating entities and will receive more than 27% of the total requested EU funding. According to data from the European Commission, €369 million will be allocated to 39 research projects and €539 million to 23 initiatives aimed at capacity development.

“This fund does not only finance technologies, but also European cooperation structures that can outlast the projects themselves,” notes Volpe. The head of Zabala Innovation highlights the value of the intermediary work carried out between partners from different countries, as well as the alignment of proposals with the priorities defined by the EU. “One of the main challenges is to translate the European strategy into concrete technical and operational roadmaps that can be evaluated and implemented successfully,” she indicates.

Among the novelties of this edition is the opening of the programme to the Ukrainian defence industry, which has been able to participate in EDF projects for the first time. This inclusion is a response to the efforts of the EU Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv to integrate Ukraine into the European industrial defence base. Some of the selected projects include the development of unmanned aerial systems powered by artificial intelligence.

Defence frontiers

Another strategic focus has been the promotion of technologies with disruptive potential, those capable of significantly replacing or transforming current capabilities. Brussels has earmarked €45 million for this type of initiative.

In this highly competitive ecosystem, Zabala Innovation has supported consortia working on proposals aligned with the programme’s technical criteria, which are structured into 17 thematic and horizontal categories. These range from biotechnology and nuclear, biological and chemical threats to energy resilience and digital transition in the military field. The structure of the EDF thus allows the financing of projects aimed at emerging challenges as well as those intended to improve interoperability and efficiency of existing systems.

The fund, which has a total budget of €7.3 billion for the 2021–2027 period, has become the EU’s main instrument for boosting research and development in defence. Its management is organised through annual calls and seeks to strengthen common capabilities at the European level, within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy. Equipped with €1.065 billion for collaborative research projects (€370.6 million) and development projects (€695.1 million), this year’s call will close its proposal submission period on 16 October 2025.