Estonian defense firms getting over €700 million in EU funding
A European Union fund is to provide over €700 million to Estonian defense firms.
This represents over half the total the EU is to allocate through the 2025 Calls for Proposals fund.
The EU will be investing around €8 billion in defense research and development (R&D) for the years 2021-2027, through the European Defense Fund, with the aim being to reduce fragmentation in EU defense industry development and to boost European cooperation and competitiveness in defense R&D.
Of the 57 international initiatives selected for funding under the EU scheme, dubbed the 2025 Calls for Proposals, worth a billion euros, nearly half — 26 — have Estonian involvement. Siim Sukles, defense ministry undersecretary for defense industry and innovation, said the results are proof that the Estonian defense industry has a clear and tangible role to play, adding via a press release: "Our companies' expertise and capabilities are being recognized more and more in international competition."
Sukles said the over €700 million represented nearly a doubling of the sum awarded year-on-year, while the Ministry of Defense itself has contributed to around a dozen successful initiatives, co-financing them to a total of over €1.5 million.
The Estonian defense firms and institutions selected for funding under the 2025 Calls for Proposals included air defense tech firm Frankenburg Technologies, drone firm Krattworks and autonomous unmanned ground vehicles manufacturer Milrem.
Funding is also being granted to two Estonian-led projects, including EURODAMM, overseen by Frankenburg Technologies, which aims to combine reusable unmanned aerial platforms with munitions, to provide scalable and affordable precision solutions in environments that do not enable electronic warfare.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
