Deadline: 29-Sep-2026
The European Commission is investing in the next generation of soldier protection and operational capabilities by funding the development of smart and multifunctional textiles, aiming to equip European armed forces with advanced materials that enhance survivability, mobility, and situational awareness on the modern battlefield.
This initiative focuses on improving operational capabilities and survivability in high-intensity combat scenarios, including threats from UAVs and electronic warfare; adopting a system approach with standardisation, harmonisation, modular open architecture, and interoperability; enabling operations in indoor and urban environments, constricted spaces, electronic warfare congested areas, and extreme temperatures; developing signature management solutions to reduce detectability by battlefield sensors; integrating friend or foe identification technologies; ensuring robustness, maintainability, and ergonomic comfort; providing enhanced ballistic protection compatible with combat effectiveness; incorporating innovative technologies such as power distribution, communications, antennas, CBRN sensors, and adaptable membranes; and ensuring functionality in diverse climate zones including Arctic conditions.
Smart and multifunctional textiles (SMT) represent a new generation of materials that combine traditional textile properties with advanced functional capabilities. These textiles can sense environmental stimuli such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and light, as well as physiological parameters like heart rate and body temperature. They can actively respond through actuation, changing color, shape, or stiffness, and support communication by transmitting critical data to command or healthcare systems. Some SMT can harvest energy using integrated solar or piezoelectric components, while others provide protection from fire, water, ballistic threats, and chemical or biological agents. Comfort and health are also enhanced through thermal regulation, moisture management, and potential therapeutic benefits.
The evolving battlefield requires soldiers to maintain concealment against increasingly sophisticated sensors, including UAVs and drones, while operating across diverse European terrains and climates. New concepts for camouflage, signature management, and identification of friendly or enemy forces are essential to increase survivability and mission effectiveness. Operational ability is further enhanced by providing actionable situational awareness without overloading soldiers with excessive data, ensuring that information relevant to both soldiers and commanding officers is prioritized.
SMT solutions must balance protection with mobility, ensuring that enhancements such as ballistic resistance, CBRN protection, or adaptive membranes do not compromise comfort or combat effectiveness. The integration of these textiles into soldier systems may include connection to command and control (C2) platforms, ensuring that soldiers remain informed, agile, and protected. Innovations must also account for robustness, maintainability, and adaptability to extreme environments, including Arctic winters and hot climates, ensuring sustained operational performance in all conditions.
The European Commission has allocated a total budget of €422 million in 2026 to support this initiative, enabling the research and development of advanced soldier smart and multifunctional textile systems across eligible European countries.
For more information, visit EC.
