This weekly highlight guides you through the latest EU developments.
💡1. EIC opens a new funding pathway for defence and dual-use innovation
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has opened its funding instruments to defence and dual-use technologies, marking an important shift in European innovation policy. Since June 2026, the EIC Accelerator and STEP Scale Up can support companies developing dual-use technologies, including AI, quantum, advanced materials and robotics. Startups and SMEs can access grants of up to €2.5 million, while equity investments can reach €30 million.
Source: European Innovation Council
🚀 2. STEP expands its strategic technology focus to defence
The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) now covers four strategic technology areas: digital and deep tech, clean and resource-efficient technologies, biotechnology, and defence technologies. STEP focuses particularly on projects moving from technology development towards manufacturing and market deployment, covering approximately TRL 4–9. The expansion creates new opportunities to combine different EU funding instruments around technologies considered strategically important for Europe's competitiveness and security.
Source: European Commission – STEP Scope and Strategic Technology Areas
⚡ 3. EU prepares €115M AGILE programme for disruptive defence innovation
The European Commission is preparing AGILE – the Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation, a new €115 million funding instrument designed to accelerate disruptive defence technologies from development and testing to market uptake.
The programme focuses particularly on SMEs, startups and scale-ups, including innovators working in areas such as AI, quantum technologies and drones. Following political agreement between the European Parliament and Council in July, AGILE is expected to launch in early 2027.
Source: European Commission
🎯 4. €100M EIC STEP Scale Up Defence call opens for European defence companies
The EIC has launched its dedicated STEP Scale Up Defence Call, providing €100 million in 2026 to help European defence technology companies scale.
Selected startups, SMEs and small mid-caps can receive €10–30 million in equity investment, designed to catalyse larger private investment rounds of approximately €50–150 million or more. Priority areas include cyber and AI, drones and counter-drones, air and missile defence, strategic enablers, maritime technologies, space-related capabilities and other critical defence technologies. The 2026 application deadline is 28 October.
Source: European Innovation Council
🤖 5. EIC creates new opportunities for AI, cyber and other dual-use technology companies
The expansion of EIC funding into dual-use innovation is particularly relevant for companies working in AI, cybersecurity, quantum, robotics, advanced materials and other deep technologies. Companies with a credible business case in both civilian and defence markets can now access the regular EIC Accelerator and STEP Scale Up, while technologies primarily intended for defence can target the dedicated STEP Scale Up Defence instrument.
This creates a clearer funding pathway from civilian deep-tech innovation → dual-use commercialisation → dedicated defence scale-up, and potentially opens the European defence funding ecosystem to a much broader group of technology companies.
Source: European Innovation Council