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 fast progress of generative artificial intelligence (AI), large language models and dialogue systems (chatbots) paves the way towards high impact defence applications in various domains such as intelligence, strategic planning, tactical operations, and life-cycle support. However, these technologies are still prone to errors, leading them in particular to present false or misleading information as fact (hallucinations). They should also be adapted to defence-specific needs. There is therefore a need for further research to develop high-performance human-AI dialogue systems for defence.
Detailed Call Description
In order to ensure trust and steer progress, these systems should be evaluated in an objective and comparative way. For that purpose, each consortium supported through this call topic will benefit from a common testing environment set up by a third-party consortium (selected under topic EDF-2025-LS-RA-CHALLENGE-DIGIT-HAIDO) in the framework of a technological challenge and will have to participate in the evaluation campaigns organised in this framework.
To further ensure trust and usability by all EU Member States’ and Associated Countries’ forces in a wide range of military contexts, the following features should also be developed and evaluated:
- The systems should be able to justify their answers (explainable AI).
- The systems should be able to properly handle and protect sensitive or classified information. This requires a form of learning taking into account that different sets of information are restricted to different user groups, so that the systems can adapt their answers depending on the users they interact with.
- The systems should be able to continuously learn from user supervision without intervention from the developers and without regression.
- The systems should be able to interact both in writing and by voice.
- The systems should cover all EU official languages.
Systems should be integrated into demonstrators that can be tested by defence users. This is important not only to validate results, but also to generate realistic data which can be used to further develop the systems.
This call topic contributes to the STEP objectives, as defined in STEP Regulation, in the target investment area of deep and digital technologies.
The proposals must address multilingual written and spoken human-AI dialogue systems that can manage the need-to-know associated to classified information, learn from users, and explain their answers. These systems must be evaluated in the framework of the technological challenge organised under this call. They must be integrated into demonstrators with user-friendly interfaces.
Call Total Budget
Thematic Categories
- Justice - Security
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, all applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must cumulatively:
- 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’; list of participating countries)
- have their executive management structure established in eligible countries
- not be subject to control by a non-associated third country or non-associated third-country entity (unless they can provide guarantees – see Annex 2 – approved by the Member State or EDF associated country where they are established).
Consortium composition – 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
Address: 172-174 Strovolos Avenue, 2048 Strovolos, Nicosia
Telephone: 22 807500
Email: defence@mod.gov.cy
Website: https://mod.gov.cy/
Department of Research and Innovation
Telephones: 22 807755, 22 807754
Email: research.innovation@mod.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu