On Wednesday (25 March), the European Commission presented AGILE, a new €115 million funding programme designed to accelerate the development of cutting-edge military technology. In addition, the Commission advanced this week the latest round of funding under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, marking another step in the European Union’s push to strengthen defence capabilities across Member States.
What the AGILE fund will do
The European Commission has realised that the modern battlefield is changing faster than ever before. Lessons learned from recent conflicts, particularly Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, have demonstrated that military success no longer depends solely on the size of an army but on the speed of its innovation. To address this, the Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation (AGILE) has been established with a total budget of €115 million as a pilot instrument to move promising technologies from the laboratory to real-world use much more quickly than traditional funding systems allow.
AGILE will focus on “disruptive technologies”, innovations, such as artificial intelligence, drones and quantum computing. The programme is specifically tailored for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, and fast-growing “scale-ups”. These smaller companies often produce cutting-edge ideas but can struggle to access large-scale funding or navigate complex administrative procedures. Under AGILE, selected projects could receive up to 100% funding for eligible costs, making it easier for companies to experiment and refine new technologies.
One of the programme’s most notable features is its speed. The Commission aims to award funding within just four months of applications closing—far faster than typical grant cycles. Once funded, projects are expected to deliver usable technologies to defence forces within one to three years.
AGILE will support around 20 to 30 projects in total. Activities will include both the development of new defence technologies and support for bringing them to market. A retroactive funding clause will also allow companies to reclaim certain costs incurred shortly before applying, encouraging them to begin work without delay.
Although still awaiting final approval by the European Parliament and the Council, AGILE is expected to become operational from early 2027.
Latest funding round of SAFE funding
Alongside the AGILE announcement, the European Commission announced on Wednesday (25 March) that it’s moving forward with the latest round of funding under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, the EU’s €150 billion mechanisms to strengthen national defence capabilities and support joint procurement of equipment from European defence industries.
The Commission approved in this last wave the national defence plans from Czechia and France. Under the proposal now submitted to the Council, Czechia is set to receive approximately €2.06 billion, while France could receive €15.09 billion once loan agreements are signed.
