Research and development trends in the field of defence: European defence fund

Abstract

The article presents trends in research and development projects within the European Defence Fund, for the purpose of national and international progress in the security and defense sector of the European Union member states. Following the described „Preparatory Action On Defence Research 2017 - 2019“, the „European Defence Fund 2021 - 2027“ with a budget of €8 billion (annual budget of €1.2 billion for 2021), is addressing fifteen categories in recent 2021 calls (sorted by belonging budget): Air combat; Ground combat; Energy resilience and environmental transition; Naval combat; Air and missile defence; Information Superiority; Defence medical response, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN), biotech and human factors; Open calls for innovative defence technologies; Disruptive technologies; Digital transformation; Space; Force protection and mobility; Materials and components; Advanced passive and active sensors; Cyber. Further research should examine the benefits but also typical obstacles for joining and implementing such an international collaborative projects for research and development in the field of security and defence.