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    EDF-2026-LS-RA-CHALLENGE-DIGIT-AISAP-STEP

    AI-based tactical situational awareness using swarms of small robots and drones – participation in a technological challenge"

    OpenLive official EU data

    Research actions in the form of a technological challenge implemented via lump sum grants · EDF-LS

    29 Sep 2026
    Deadline
    €30M
    Call budget (2026)

    What this call funds

    This call funds research into AI-powered swarms of small robots and drones that give soldiers better real-time situational awareness by detecting hidden threats. Winning teams will test their solutions in a shared, standardized experiment environment run as part of a technological challenge, aiming to reach a mature prototype stage (TRL 6). The total budget for this topic is 23 million euros, with individual project grants capped at 4.6 million euros.

    robotics automation · artificial intelligence · defence security · internet of things

    Who wins this

    This call suits defence-technology consortiums developing robotics, drone, and AI sensing systems who are able to reach TRL 6 and participate in coordinated live testing campaigns.

    Could you win this call?

    We read your site to see what you build.

    The call in detail

    Funding model
    EDF-AG-LS
    Submission
    Single-stage submission (full proposal at once)
    Type of action
    EDF Lump Sum Grants
    Partners
    Not stated in the call.
    Technology readiness
    TRL 6
    Also required
    Requested EU funding per proposal cannot exceed EUR 4,600,000; participants must join a common testing environment and experiment campaigns organised as part of the technological challenge.
    Sectors
    Defence · Aerospace · Cybersecurity
    Read the full conditions from the official call ›

    Conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in section 5 of the call document. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. 2. Eligible Countries described in section 6 of the call document. 3. Other Eligible Conditions described in section 6 of the call document. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in section 7 of the call document. 5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. 5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in section 9 of the call document. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in section 4 of the call document. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in section 10 of the call document. Call document and annexes: Call document

    Who has won calls like this

    No past winners are recorded for this call family yet.

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