Latvia’s new defence grant round closes on 18 September
The ministry has announced €2.4 million for military and dual-use development, with separate ceilings for individual companies and consortia.
Funding & programmes
Research calls, accelerators and capital. Understand programme scope, eligibility and the distinction between development funding and customer orders.
78 articles
DEFINE’s fifth cohort gives suppliers a current map of emerging Finnish partners
The September cohort is already under way. Its public profiles are useful for partner research, while future application access must be checked separately.
SecFund’s early results show why investment and customer adoption need separate milestones
The Dutch ministry’s July update names funded companies and a practical use of Tective’s SkyHive. Founders should distinguish capital access from the process of becoming a supplier.
APFIT's first software selections show demand without establishing a recurring funding channel
The July 2026 announcement includes software projects, while program guidance says future software-only funding is not guaranteed.
Quantum Systems’ Series D changes the partnership question for autonomy suppliers
The company’s July financing announcement couples industrial expansion with a broader software ecosystem. Smaller firms need to define how they complement that direction.
Dassault leads Harmattan AI's $200 million Series B alongside a strategic partnership
The January announcement combines equity financing with industrial cooperation; the funding total is not a customer contract value.
What the EDF’s €1 billion 2026 work programme means for a small company
A programme budget establishes funding priorities across collaborative R&D topics. It does not assign EUR 1 billion of demand to any one product market or supplier.
A DIU solution brief needs a commercial product case and a mission fit
A short submission still needs to explain what already works, what must change and how the proposed prototype would answer the customer's question.
A Navy SBIR selectee listing is an intermediate milestone
The Navy explicitly distinguishes selection for further consideration from a completed contract award.
A reproducible research prototype is easier to turn into a product
A research result is more useful to a product team when another person can repeat the relevant work, understand its dependencies and identify what remains experimental.
A successful DIU prototype creates a purchasing route; adoption still needs a buyer
Prototype success and follow-on purchasing authority are meaningful milestones, but neither alone establishes the size or timing of future orders.
A US subsidiary does not by itself settle SBIR eligibility
Founders planning a US structure need to examine ownership and control as well as location before treating SBIR funding as available.
AFWERX's September Strategic Breakthrough window requires a government champion
The publicly listed PY26.3.2 notice has a narrow continuation scope and a government-led submission route.
An IDEaS Test Drive contract buys a defined evaluation, with support obligations attached
Limited acquisition for real-world testing can be a commercial milestone without establishing a full-scale procurement commitment.
APFIT starts with a government sponsor and a production-ready capability
The program's public guidance places submission with government organizations and distinguishes procurement from unfinished research.
ASTRID 2026 is closed: what should companies learn before the next research call?
The 2026 call closed on 2 March. Its research scope, EUR 400,000 ceiling and published corrections provide preparation lessons without implying a new application window.
ASTRID Maturation: why the prior research and industrial partner matter
France’s 2026 maturation call linked eligible earlier defence-funded research with company and public-research participation. It was not an unrestricted startup accelerator.
Australia’s defence-industry grants: use the current batch dates and existing rules
The programme has been extended, while current guidance still governs applications. Four streams have different funding ceilings and assessment batches.