EU governments have formally adopted a new €115 million programme to provide rapid financial support to small and medium-sized firms developing emerging and disruptive defence products.
The regulation sets up the programme for agile and rapid defence innovation — known as AGILE — and follows a provisional agreement with the European Parliament reached on 15 July 2026 and a plenary vote on 6 October, the Council of the EU announced on Monday.
AGILE will focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) including start-ups and scale-ups, and is intended to help firms move from prototype systems to equipment that can be used by defence forces.
Support will prioritise the development and testing of innovative defence products and technologies, including adapting civilian technologies for defence use.
“Ireland’s Minister of Defence Helen McEntee said Ukraine had shown innovation and cutting-edge technology could be decisive for defence preparedness and resilience, and that AGILE would give SMEs an additional instrument to innovate faster and at greater scale.”
Faster grants and quicker access to testing
Grants under AGILE are expected to be awarded within four months, with supported products and technologies anticipated to reach defence forces within one to three years, according to the Council.
Member states will help set “mission-driven challenges” to guide what is funded, with the aim that supported products match their capability needs.
The programme also includes fast-track access to testing and experimentation facilities — a common hurdle for smaller firms — alongside matchmaking with major defence companies to encourage uptake of products developed with AGILE support.
The regulation will be signed by the presidents of the European Parliament and the Council and published in the Official Journal of the European Union, entering into force 20 days after publication. A first call for proposals is expected at the beginning of 2027.
