EDF Info Days 2026 in Brussels – €1 billion for collaborative research and development in the field of defence
EDF Info Days (European Defence Fund) organized by the European Commission brought together security and defense sector actors in Brussels. More than 160 participants from various universities, development institutions, and companies attended from Finland.
Support for Ukraine played a significant role at this year’s event. The situation was discussed in a panel featuring representatives from the development banks of Italy, Poland, France, Finland and the Czech Republic, among others. Finnvera represented Finland. ”All these countries are interested in financing the entry of European consortia into Ukraine’s developing markets, for example through export credits and collateral arrangements. Of course, the requirement for all of them is that a company from their own country plays a significant role in the project. Finland, for example, requires a 30 percent share”, said Harri Airaksinen, Director of the Tampere Region EU Office.
The Info Days began on Tuesday, 10 March 2026, with a reviw by the Commission about those 31 calls for proposals in the EDF 2026 Annual Work Programme. The day also provided practical information about the application process, including how applications are evaluated, good practices and mistakes to avoid. You can find the European Defence Fund’s 2026 Annual Work Programme here.
Like many other EU financial instruments, the EDF has its own National Focal Points (NFP). These are experts appointed by the Member States to assist with issues related to the programme. In Finland, the NFP is Markus Ranne from Business Finland. Read more here.
On Wednesday, 11 March, the programme consisted mainly of companies pitch-sessions for investors and networking. An important part of the event involved meeting potential partners for cooperation consortia. The day’s themes were the development of a competitive EU defence industry and the role of innovation promotion and financing, particularly (private) equity investments, in this work.
Senior Business Advisor of Smart Mobility Jari Ikonen from Business Tampere sums up that: ”Without a functional financing instrument, innovations in the defence industry will remain in laboratories. For Finnish companies, financing determines whether our expertise is turned into exports and security.’‘
Airaksinen continues with theme of financing. He emphasises the emergence of private equity investors in the defence sector as a new and important development. This phenomenon is new on this scale. ”Several significant funds are being created which invest in companies at different stages of development. Finland is also heavily involved in this market“, he says.
‘’Private financing will be also available for younger companies operating in the dual-use sector. The Ukraine Facility and the EDF offers significant opportunities for companies in Tampere Region. We will share targeted information about these opportunities during the spring,” adds Markku Niemi, Director for Smart City at Business Tampere.
Discussions focused defense technologies such as artificial intelligence development, space, drones, and quantum technology. Tampere Region is home to more than 350 organizations with expertise in security and defense. These players form the Tampere Region Safety and Security Cluster, which develops global security innovations and solutions to safeguard an increasingly digital society. The revenue of the security industry in Tampere Region is one billion euros. Read more here.
