MEPs have approved a new €115 million EU programme designed to provide rapid financial support to smaller firms developing emerging defence technologies.
The programme, called AGILE — short for agile and rapid defence innovation — is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups and scale-ups, working on “emerging and disruptive” defence technologies, the European Parliament informed on Tuesday.
It said AGILE will offer fast-track grants as well as access to testing and certification, and will allow EU member states to help set the challenges the programme should focus on.
AGILE will also support projects that adapt civilian technologies for defence use, and is intended to help bridge the gap between development and deployment.
The European Parliament said lawmakers backed the legislation by 536 votes to 101, with 16 abstentions.
Faster funding and links to big defence firms
The programme will have a four-month “time-to-grant” process — the time between applying and receiving funding — the Parliament said.
It also plans to connect smaller companies with major defence manufacturers, sometimes referred to as defence industry “primes”, including through dedicated matchmaking.
Tonino Picula, the lead MEP for the Parliament’s Security and Defence Committee, said the programme would “accelerat[e] the path from innovation to deployment” and strengthen SMEs.
The plan still needs formal endorsement by the Council of the EU before it is published in the EU’s Official Journal, the Parliament said, adding that AGILE is due to enter into operation at the beginning of 2027.
