The European Commission has opened applications for Cohort 2 of the EUDIS Business Accelerator, a defence innovation programme designed to support European start-ups and scale-ups focused on critical defence technologies, the Commission said in a statement.
The EUDIS Business Accelerator aims to help defence-orientated start-ups and scale-ups refine their business development and go-to-market strategies, gain insights into end-user needs and build networks with industry stakeholders. Participants will take part in five intensive bootcamps hosted across key European defence industrial ecosystems, receive one-to-one coaching and targeted training from sector specialists, and engage with investors and defence end users.
Each selected company completing the programme will receive a €120,000 seed-financing voucher to support commercial and technological growth, with additional rewards available for top performers.
The initiative will concentrate on six technology themes important to future defence capabilities, including information and decision superiority, autonomous systems and robotics, counter-drone systems, sovereign defence infrastructure, next-generation human performance and protection, and scalable manufacturing for high-intensity operations, along with an open topic for disruptive innovations.
The programme’s organisers say the accelerator offers early-stage defence innovators a structured pathway to strengthen their market presence and align technological development with evolving defence requirements across Europe.
The call for applications runs from 16 December 2025 until 25 January 2026, with the eight-month accelerator scheduled to begin at the end of March 2026. Twenty companies from EU member states and Norway will be selected to participate.
Applications and further details are available on the official EUDIS Business Accelerator website.
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