More than 5,200 people took part in the European Defence Fund (EDF) Info Days 2026, an event in Brussels and online that brought together defence firms, start-ups, investors and research organisations.
More than 1,200 participants attended in person in Brussels over the two-day event, with additional participants joining online, the European Commission reported on Tuesday.
Attendees were briefed on funding opportunities under the EDF’s 2026 work programme, under which the European Commission said it will invest more than €1 billion in European defence research and development projects.
Companies and research organisations have until the end of September to submit proposals.
The event also included networking and idea-pitching sessions for the defence research and development community.
Francois Arbault, a director in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS), said the EDF’s goal was to increase the number of European defence companies working together on research and development and “to decrease our dependency from others.”
How the EDF works and what happens next
Recordings of the plenary sessions have been made available on the EDF website, and registration for the event’s networking platform will remain open until November 2026, the Commission said.
The EDF is the EU’s main funding programme for collaborative defence research and development — work to design and develop new military technologies and capabilities.
The fund has a budget of €7.3 billion for 2021 to 2027 and supports research and defence stakeholders across EU member states and Norway.
