EUcalls successfully hosted the online webinar “Unlocking Opportunities in the European Defence Fund (EDF): Safety, Security & Dual-Use Technologies” on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, bringing together experts, organisations, SMEs, research centres, clusters and innovation stakeholders interested in the European defence funding landscape.
The webinar was organised by EUcalls in collaboration with JOIST Defence Innovation Hub and REALISCAPE, with the aim of informing European organisations about the opportunities available through the European Defence Fund, the growing importance of dual-use technologies, and the role of strategic partnerships in successful proposal development.
As defence, security, safety and resilience continue to become key priorities across Europe, the webinar offered participants practical insights into how organisations can better understand EDF opportunities, position their expertise and build strong international consortia.
A Webinar Dedicated to Defence, Security and Dual-Use Innovation
The event focused on the European Defence Fund as one of the most important EU instruments supporting collaborative defence research and development.
Through the discussion, participants had the opportunity to better understand how EDF fits within the broader European defence financing landscape, why the programme is increasingly relevant for SMEs and technology providers, and how dual-use innovation can create new opportunities for organisations beyond the traditional defence sector.
The webinar also highlighted that participation in EDF is not limited only to defence companies. Research organisations, universities, digital innovators, simulation providers, cybersecurity experts, technology companies and SMEs can all play an important role when their expertise contributes to defence, safety, security or operational readiness applications.
As a follow-up benefit, webinar participants received an exclusive discount on EUcalls subscription plans, enabling them to further explore funding opportunities, partner search and consortium-building tools through the platform.
Thank You to Our Speakers and Participants
EUcalls would like to sincerely thank all participants who joined the webinar and contributed to the discussion.
We would also like to warmly thank our speakers for sharing their expertise, practical experience and valuable perspectives:
George Kouvidis
Director, JOIST Defence Innovation Hub
Christos Xouris
Defence Innovation Specialist & R&D Director, REALISCAPE
Veronica Filippou
Product Manager, EUcalls
Their contributions helped create a well-rounded session that combined strategic analysis, practical project experience and hands-on guidance on how organisations can use EUcalls to identify relevant funding opportunities and connect with potential partners.
Key Topics Presented During the Webinar
The webinar covered a wide range of topics related to EDF, defence innovation and dual-use technologies.
George Kouvidis presented the European Defence Fund within the new European defence financing landscape, explaining how EDF is connected to broader initiatives such as Readiness 2030, SAFE and EDIP. His presentation highlighted that although EDF represents around €1 billion annually for collaborative defence R&D, its strategic importance is much broader, as it helps position organisations for future capability development, industrial collaboration and downstream opportunities.
A key message from this session was that successful EDF participation depends not only on strong technology, but also on strategic positioning, consortium structure, topic fit and a clear pathway to impact.
Christos Xouris from REALISCAPE focused on defence innovation, simulation and dual-use technologies, sharing practical insights from R&D and EDF-related project positioning. His presentation underlined that strong defence innovation projects are not simply about developing new technologies, but about reducing operational uncertainty, improving readiness and creating solutions that can be tested, validated and trusted by end users.
The session also explored the role of XR/VR technologies, digital twins, immersive training environments and simulation systems in both defence and civil protection contexts. This highlighted the growing relevance of dual-use technologies and the importance of adapting innovation to specific mission, security and validation requirements.
Veronica Filippou from EUcalls presented how the platform can support organisations throughout the funding journey, from discovering relevant EDF and security-related opportunities to identifying partners and supporting consortium-building activities. The live demo showed how organisations can search for calls, use smart matching, explore partner profiles and take practical follow-up actions through the platform.
Why the European Defence Fund Matters
The European Defence Fund is becoming increasingly important for organisations and businesses across Europe because it supports collaborative innovation in areas that are directly connected to Europe’s security, resilience and strategic autonomy.
For SMEs and technology providers, EDF can open new pathways for growth, international collaboration and access to high-value R&D projects. For research organisations and universities, it provides an opportunity to contribute scientific and technological expertise to mission-oriented projects. For clusters and innovation ecosystems, it creates new possibilities to connect members with relevant partners and funding opportunities.
EDF is also particularly important because many of its opportunities require cross-border collaboration. This means that organisations need to identify the right partners early, understand where their expertise fits and position themselves strategically within consortia.
The webinar emphasised that early preparation is essential. Finding the right call is only the first step. Organisations must also understand the topic requirements, define their value proposition, identify complementary partners and build a credible proposal structure.
Supporting Organisations Beyond the Webinar
As part of the event, participants also received a dedicated discount offer for EUcalls annual subscription plans, giving them the opportunity to further explore the platform and use it to identify relevant funding opportunities and partners.
Through this offer, EUcalls aimed to encourage participants to move from information to action and continue exploring EDF, security and dual-use opportunities after the webinar.
EUcalls’ Commitment to the European Funding Community
This webinar forms part of EUcalls’ broader commitment to supporting the European funding community with practical information, expert insights and tools that help organisations access funding and build partnerships.
EUcalls is more than a funding database. It is a growing European platform designed to help organisations discover opportunities, connect with relevant partners, develop project ideas and move faster within the EU funding ecosystem.
By organising webinars, knowledge-sharing sessions and targeted events, EUcalls aims to create an active community around European funding, innovation and collaboration.
The success of this webinar confirms the strong interest of organisations in defence, safety, security and dual-use technologies, as well as the need for more practical guidance on how to enter and navigate the EDF ecosystem.
Stay Connected for Upcoming Webinars
EUcalls will continue to organise informative webinars and online sessions focused on European funding opportunities, strategic programmes, consortium building and innovation ecosystems.
We invite all organisations interested in EU funding, research, innovation and international collaboration to stay connected with EUcalls and participate in our upcoming webinars.
Through future sessions, EUcalls will continue to support SMEs, research organisations, universities, clusters and innovation stakeholders in discovering opportunities, building partnerships and turning ideas into successful European projects.
Stay tuned for our next webinars and explore how EUcalls can help your organisation identify the right funding opportunities and connect with the right partners across Europe.
