The European Commission has established a €25 million budget line for defence research in 2017, a press release updated on Wednesday 19 April reports.
The Commission decision on the financing of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) was adopted on 11 April.
PADR focuses on three areas of research: - unmanned systems, such as drones, for example, to enhance situational awareness in a naval environment; - technology and equipment to offer military personnel better protection; - strategic technology foresight to develop realistic scenarios of potential future conflicts which will help better inform EU-funded defence research.
Funding to recipients will be awarded through the European Defence Agency. No more than five contracts are expected to be selected in the fourth quarter of 2017 and funding is expected to be paid out at the start of 2018. Projects will last between 12 and 36 months. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)