Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The European Defence Fund (EDF) is the Commission’s initiative to support collaborative defence research and development, and to foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The specific objective of this topic is to enable solutions that are easily deployable both on current (by retrofit) and future naval assets. The focus is on interoperability and interchangeability as from the design phase of the systems, including data-sharing.
The aim is to provide capable and cost-effective technologies for MCM operations. These include enabling systems for mine warfare platforms (such as launch and recovery (LARS) and command and control (C2) systems), development of unmanned platforms, decision support, planning, and evaluation tools.
Detailed Call Description
The focus is on improving effectiveness in difficult seabed conditions (such as cluttered seabed and deep waters) and against difficult naval mines (such as intelligent mines, stealth mines, buried and conceiled mines, drifting mines, and rising or mobile mines), and on reducing time (increase efficiency) of the overall MCM operation.
The proposals must address design to qualification activities of next-generation MCM solutions which improve the quality and speed of MCM processes. The proposals must cover operations in demanding conditions. The proposals should consider and contribute to unmanned solutions and concepts.
The areas concerned for development and improvement, and that must be addressed are the following:
- performance of the MCM process in terms of quality and time using decision support capabilities;
- operational effectiveness and efficiency through extended autonomous behaviour and improved endurance of unmanned systems (UxV) both individually and as collaborative system of systems;
- detection and neutralisation of difficult naval mines (drifting mines, buried mines, stealthy mines) through improved sensors and/or vectors;
- extending operational MCM capability in battlespace and time, covering environment and factors such as difficult seabed terrain, high sea state, iced waters, non-permissive electromagnetic environment, in the water column from surface to maximum 1000m;
- improving reliability and robustness.
Proposed solutions that address these areas should consider some or all of the following features:
- decision support using sensor data fusion, big data analysis, data exploitation, and improvement of decision-making algorithms and tactical procedures;
- sensor and effector development utilising forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and swarm techniques;
- UxVs (UAVs, USVs, UUVs, and other stationary and mobile drones) complementary or embedded to the MCM organic system and interoperable with other naval force elements;
- UxV deployment, launch and recovery functions implemented for designed or designated vessels, craft of opportunity and shore infrastructure;
- joint multi-level (platform-unit-fleet) MCM mission management tools utilising for example AI and Big Data solutions to manage operations using multiple resources (manned and unmanned);
- communication systems to operate unmanned systems with manned systems, including interworking and interoperability of applications and data;
- digital infrastructure and cyber security by design.
Call Total Budget
Thematic Categories
- Justice - Security
- Other Thematic Category
- Public Administration
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Shipping - Marine Transports
Eligibility for Participation
- Central Government
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Applications will only be considered eligible if their content corresponds wholly (or at least in part) to the topic description for which it is submitted.
Eligible participants (eligible countries) – In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)
- non-EU countries:
- listed EEA countries (‘EDF associated countries’, see list of participating countries)
- have their executive management structure established in eligible countries
- must not be subject to control by a non-associated third country or nonassociated third-country entity (unless they can provide guarantees – see Annex 2 – approved by the Member State or EDF associated country where they are established).
Associated partners which are not established in one of the eligible countries (or which are subject to control by a non-associated third country or non-associated third-country entity) may however participate exceptionally if certain conditions are fulfilled (not contravene EU and MS security and defence interests; consistent with EDF objectives; results not subject to control or restriction by non-associated third countries or non-associated third-country entities; no unauthorised access to classified information; no potential negative effects over security of supply of inputs which are critical for the project), subject to agreement by the granting authority and without any funding under the grant.
Consortium composition – For all topics under this call, proposals must be submitted by: minimum 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Ministry of Defense
172-174 Strovolos Avenue, 2048 Strovolos, Nicosia,
website: https://mod.gov.cy/
Telephone: 22 807500
Email: defence@mod.gov.cy
Department of Research and Innovation
Phones: 22 807755, 22 807754
Email: research.innovation@mod.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
European Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS): https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/defence-industry-and-space_en
For help related to this call, please contact: DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu