The European Parliament on 6 October approved the creation of a new defence innovation programme, AGILE, with a budget of €115 million. It is designed to speed up the development and fielding of new military technologies against the backdrop of a changing security environment shaped by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The vote took place at the plenary session in Strasbourg. The regulation was backed by 536 MEPs, with 101 voting against and 16 abstaining. The text still needs formal endorsement by the Council of the EU and publication in the Official Journal. The pilot is due to launch at the beginning of 2027.
AGILE (Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation) is a targeted instrument of financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and scale-ups developing disruptive defence technologies. Priorities include artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, cyber capabilities, space systems and drones, as well as the adaptation of civilian technologies for military use.
The programme is meant to close the gap between a laboratory prototype and delivery to the armed forces: grants are to be awarded under a fast-track procedure in about four months, with operational deployment targeted within one to three years. The aim for 2027 is roughly 20 to 30 projects.
The scheme is set to run for one year under the current EU multiannual budget for 2021–2027 and is conceived as a complement to the European Defence Fund. The Fund is geared towards larger and longer projects, while AGILE is intended to work faster and at lower cost. Lessons from the programme are expected to inform the design of defence instruments in the next budget cycle.
