The EDF Playbook: Building consortia, winning grants, securing innovation

As the geopolitical landscape grows increasingly volatile, the need for technologies that serve both national security and the daily lives of citizens has never been more urgent. Bridging the gap between the civilian and defence sectors is essential, yet navigating the complex funding environment and building strong dual-use partnerships for breakthrough innovation remains a significant challenge.

The European Defence Fund (EDF) offers a powerful mechanism to finance this type of innovation. However, successfully leveraging EDF requires strategic alignment between stakeholders from different sectors who often operate with different priorities, languages, and requirements.

During this session, experts from COcyber, 28DIGITAL and Hypex Consulting will share practical insights, tools and actionable strategies to help participants better understand EDF opportunities and strengthen their approach to dual-use collaboration.

The event will focus on:

• Breaking down EDF programme requirements that often challenge applicants, particularly from a dual-use perspective;
• Exploring how to build strong cross-sector consortia and identify the right partners for competitive proposals;
• Understanding cybersecurity-specific requirements when integrating civilian innovators into sensitive defence environments;
• Presenting the COcyber matchmaking function as a practical tool for partnership creation and collaboration.

The session will include expert presentations followed by an interactive Q&A and networking opportunities for in-person participants. The event will be held in Hungarian and only partially in English.

The views and materials shared during this event are solely those of the COcyber project and do not represent the position of the European Commission or the European Defence Fund (EDF). Neither the European Commission nor the EDF can be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information shared.

Registration closed.