EU launches “Agile” programme to accelerate defence innovation

Innovation EU Launches “Agile” Programme to Accelerate Defence Innovation

2026-04-18 Source: Freelancer | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

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The European Union plans a fast-track funding initiative to bring cutting-edge defence technologies to market and into armed forces more quickly.

The EU’s “Agile” initiative aims to fast-track the development and deployment of next-generation defence technologies across Europe.(Source: betexion on Pixabay) — The EU’s “Agile” initiative aims to fast-track the development and deployment of next-generation defence technologies across Europe.
(Source: betexion on Pixabay)

The EU aims to accelerate the development of new defence technologies and plans to launch a funding programme worth 115 million euros. Wars and battlefields “are changing in dramatic ways,” said Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence, during the presentation of the programme called “Agile” on Wednesday in Brussels. Armed forces require “new technologies, rapid deliveries, and highly competitive prices,” Kubilius explained as the rationale behind the initiative.

“We must be prepared to win the wars of tomorrow and not only fight the wars of yesterday,” Kubilius emphasised. “We must be smarter and faster than our opponents.”

EU Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen stated that Agile is intended to bring “our most creative technology companies” closer to the defence industry.

The programme provides that, in an initial pilot phase, between 20 and 30 projects will be supported with one to five million euros each. The focus will be on small and medium-sized enterprises as well as start-ups from EU countries, countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and Ukraine. The programme is intended to accelerate the development and testing of defence innovations as well as their market introduction. The Commission cites artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and drones as examples.

“Agile” aims to achieve an “unprecedentedly short approval period of just four months and to bring technologies to the armed forces within one to three years,” the Commission stated. The programme is to be financed from the EU budget.

The Commission’s proposal must still be adopted by the Council of EU member states and the European Parliament. The Commission assumes that the programme could begin in early 2027.

Member of the European Parliament and defence policy expert Niclas Herbst (CDU) described the initiative as “fundamentally sensible.” Anyone wishing to become more capable of defence “must promote innovation at all levels,” Herbst demanded.

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