Deadline: 29-Sep-2026
The European Commission is inviting grant applications to design and implement advanced multi-energy systems to support secure, robust, and sustainable energy for diverse military operational needs.
The initiative focuses on greening military energy systems, integrating advanced communication and data technologies such as cloud-edge computing, 5G/6G/SatCom, fibre-optics, and Artificial Intelligence to optimise operations and improve resilience. It prioritises modularity, interoperability, and standardisation across energy, communication, and data layers. Key objectives include developing alternative energy storage solutions like hydrogen and synthetic fuels, robust monitoring and control, cyber protection, and operational interconnection with smart energy users such as soldier systems, weapon systems, and unmanned vehicles (UxVs). The topic also aims to advance military standards for energy generation, distribution, and storage while contributing to clean and resource-efficient technologies under STEP objectives.
The indicative budget for this topic under the EDF-2026-DA call is EUR 20,000,000, forming part of an overall budget of EUR 422,000,000 for the call.
The call builds on previous activities in high-performance energy systems to address new use cases for stationary military applications. Proposals should develop innovative building blocks and functional modules to meet power and energy targets, improve operability, enhance connectivity to energy grids, and optimise life cycle performance. Demonstrators are expected to assess efficiency, availability, security, and interoperability, while ensuring coexistence with legacy systems and robustness under challenging climate conditions.
Proposals should cover production, storage, and consumption, integrating commercial off-the-shelf components where appropriate. Solutions may include smart charging or refuelling systems for multiple soldier systems, UxV swarms, and manned or unmanned forward operating base equipment. Stationary applications, such as air bases or garrisons, may employ modular energy blocks for hydrogen or synthetic fuel storage and distribution.
The topic supports strategic autonomy and the development of European smart energy technologies for defence, enabling flexible, adaptable, and environmentally friendly energy systems. Eligible participants are legal entities established in EU Member States, EDF-associated countries, or EEA countries, with executive management in eligible countries and no control by non-associated third countries unless guarantees are provided.
For more information, visit European Commission.
