EDA News

Representatives of all EU and NATO Member States as well as the NATO International Staff were invited to the EDA premises today for an informal briefing on the revised Capability Development Plan (CDP) approved in June 2018 and on its ongoing implementation process. The event was held at the initiative of the EDA Steering Board as part of the renewed EU-NATO cooperation under the Warsaw and Brussels Joint Declarations which call for more transparency and coherence of output between the EU and NATO defence planning processes. 22 EU Member States are also NATO Allies.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, and Martin Konertz, the Capability, Armament & Planning Director, provided participants with an detailed overview on the general CDP process, on last year’s revision and the 11 new EU Capability Development Priorities, as well as on their implementation through the development of individual Strategic Context Cases (SCCS) which will serve as launching pads for potential future collaborative projects. They also explained the crucial role the CDP plays as a key reference for Member States’ and EU's capability development, and how it guides and informs the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and the European Defence Fund (EDF). 

Participants were also briefed about how EDA ensures coherence with NATO, thus mitigating the risk of unnecessary duplication.  The Agency will continue to pursue coherence of output and timelines between the EU and NATO Defence Planning Processes in full transparency with the Member States.

“The meeting aimed at further enhancing transparency and visibility on the overall process and main elements of the revised CDP priorities, and at elaborating on the ways EU and NATO pursue coherence of output as well as the associated benefits, considering that Member States/Allies have a single set of forces and capabilities”, Mr Domecq commented. “I am confident that the meeting was particularly beneficial to those Allies which are not involved in the CDP process”. 
 

• 2018 European Capability Development Priorities (EDA brochure)

Jean-François Ripoche joined the European Defence Agency (EDA) on 1 May 2019 as the Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Director. He previously held the position of Research and Technology Director at the Strategy Directorate of DGA (Direction générale de l'armement), the French Ministry of Defence Procurement Agency.

Mr Ripoche graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique (X90) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Techniques Avancées in Paris, and holds a PhD in laser Physics. 

With his engineering background, Jean-François Ripoche brings to EDA years of experience in Research and Technology in the military field. He started his career in 1998 at the DGA and worked across various domains such as UAVs, Landsystems, Space and Cybersecurity. 

Holding the position of Deputy Director for Industrial Affairs in charge of the electronics, land systems and naval systems industries from 2008 to 2012, he developed a sound experience of relations with industry.

“l look forward to joining the European Defence Agency during this very challenging period. Research, technology and innovation are key areas that will contribute to effectively deliver European defence capabilities. I am committed to continuing the work initiated at EDA to streamline Member States’ and European defence R&T priorities and to promote cooperation opportunities, using adequate funding instruments”, Mr Ripoche said upon taking up his duties.

As Research, Technology and Innovation Director, Jean-François Ripoche will lead a key Directorate of the Agency which fosters and supports defence research at EU level. Based on the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA), developed together with the Member States, the Directorate coordinates and plans joint research activities and the study of technical solutions to meet future operational needs. The Directorate provides support to Member States and to the European Commission for the Preparatory Action on defence research, including its implementation, and the research dimension of the European Defence Fund. The Directorate also ensures the promotion of innovation in defence and the exploitation of synergies at EU level with civil research in dual-use technology.
 

• Jean-Francois Ripoche CV

Later this autumn, on 2-3 October 2019, EDA will organise a Workshop on Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF) and Telemedicine in order to support and facilitate future Multinational Medical Modular Unit (M3U) capability development and to foster and establish a dialogue with industry.

The main objective of the workshop will be to identify requirements for development of new MTF and telemedicine solutions as well as advanced products and services within two specific areas:

• Field hospitals for future CSDP operations. The ambition is to look for new systems to realize or provide cost-effective solutions for new generations of MTF in order to support collaborative development of a multinational deployable field hospital capability - ROLE 2 Basic Highly Mobile (Role 3). The workshop will allow the concrete discussions on the way ahead and on how national requirements can be harmonised with a view to moving towards procurement.
• Telemedicine. The main focus here is on IT and advanced technology solutions starting at the point of injury (POI) and continuing through the military medical chain up to developing complete solutions, medical equipment and material development applicable to surgery, resuscitation and diagnostics as well as on computers and robots able to perform telemedicine within MTF.
   

In order to prepare the workshop and to ensure an objective and balanced discussion, EDA invites industry to provide input and express their views and expectations via a special questionnaire prepared by the Agency. The questionnaire has been also distributed via National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs) and AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD). EDA encourages industry to participate in the survey as this will contribute to ensuring a high-quality workshop.

Industrial representatives will be invited to the workshop to present their products and solutions, and to discuss and share their views on concrete medium and long-term developments. The eligibility and selection criteria for participation are presented in the questionnaire. Submissions will be judged on their innovativeness and relevance as well as ability to stimulate discussion on the future role of Medical support.

Participation in this call for papers is open to companies of any size as well as academic, semi-governmental research institutes and associations or grouping of industrial suppliers.
 

• The questionnaire can be uploaded here
• Send your response to the questionnaire to CAP@eda.europa.eu, with a copy to Daniel.PETRILAK@eda.europa.eu; 
• Deadline for submissions is 22 May 2019.
  
  

• Medical Support (EDA project page);

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Commission (DG GROW) today jointly held a successful Information & Brokerage Day to inform potential applicants on the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) and the details of the 2019 calls for proposals published on 19 March.

Almost 300 participants representing a wide variety of companies (including SMEs), research centres, universities, Ministries of Defence, European institutions, regional/local authorities and defence related organisations joined in Brussels to attend the event.

In his keynote speech, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said it was “of utmost importance that EU funded defence research leads to real products that can enhance European capabilities.” He added: “The Pilot Project which EDA managed was successfully concluded and follow-up activities to exploit the results from it are already under discussion. It is therefore very encouraging to see downstream activities from the Pilot Project that should encourage further uptake of the results from the Preparatory Action on Defence Research.”

In her opening remarks, Sylvia Kainz-Huber, Head of Unit Defence 2 in the European Commission (DG GROW), thanked EDA for the fruitful collaboration. She added that “the European Union should not substitute Member States’ efforts in defence, but it can encourage their collaboration, for instance in developing and acquiring the technologies and equipment needed to address common security and defence challenges". 

The PADR 2019 work programme includes the following calls/topics:

• Electromagnetic Spectrum Dominance: Combined radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions based on European Active Electronically Scanned Arrays for military applications (PADR-EMS-03-2019).

• Future Disruptive Defence Technologies 

1. Emerging Game-changers (PADR-FDDT-EMERGING-03-2019)
2. Challenging the future (PADR-FDDT-OPEN-03-2019).

• Unmanned systems: Interoperability standards for military unmanned systems (PADR-US-03-2019).

During the Information & Brokerage Day, participants received detailed presentations and played an active role in interactive information sessions on the three PADR calls for proposals. The Brokerage event which took place in the afternoon provided participants with plenty of opportunities for networking with partners interested in forming consortia. More than 250 bilateral meetings have been held.

Published on 19 March 2019 in the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal on the European Commission website, the calls will be implemented through grants with a deadline for submission set to 28 August 2019.
 

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is the first substantial EU funded Action through which the European Commission, supported by EDA, is making an important contribution to European defence, as set out in the 2016 EU Global Strategy and its Implementation Plan. 

The PADR follows a Pilot Project managed by EDA and successfully concluded in November last year. With a total budget of €90M over three years (€25M in 2019), the PADR is implemented through three work programmes with different calls and topics. EDA published the first PADR calls for proposals on 7 June 2017 and the second on 15 March 2018. A total of 24 proposals were received involving some 190 different entities from 25 countries in 2017 (24 Member States plus Norway), and 8 proposals were received in 2018 involving 85 different entities from 20 countries. 

The 2019 PADR calls for proposals are the third and final call published. Five projects (OCEAN 2020, Pythia, ACAMS II, GOSSRA and VESTLIFE), selected and funded following the 2017 Calls for Proposals, are already ongoing. The three projects of the 2018 Calls will be signed in the near future. EDA, as the entrusted implementing Agency is strongly committed to the PADR objective of testing the added-value of the EU budget supporting defence research, in view of a potential EU programme in the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework.
 

• Jorge Domecq - Opening remarks PADR Infoday 2019
• PADR Info Day (EDA page)
• PADR project page
• PADR Calls for Proposals

Last week, a kick-off meeting was held at EDA to launch the contractual work on the Cyber Defence Situation Awareness Package Rapid Research Prototype (CySAP-RRP) project, in the presence of representatives of the three contributing Member States:  Spain (lead country), Germany and Italy. The industry consortium in charge of the project provided Member States with an overview of the project management plan describing tasks, milestones and project deliverables. 

The project was conceived as the first step of a spiral development in order to set up a full Cyber Situation Awareness operational capability. The CySAP-RRP will be built upon previous work done by EDA to develop a Target Architecture and System Requirements for an enhanced Cyber Defence Situation Awareness Capability. 

The core objectives of the project include essential research challenges to assist military decision-makers in cyberspace and to set the basis for a fully-fledged Command and Control (C2) system for cyber operations. 

CySAP is at the forefront of technology development with the aim of obtaining a common and standardized cyber defence planning and management functional area service. The research challenges are to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cyber defence elements in the planning and conduct phase of military operations in which cyberspace is now recognised and treated as any other domain such as land, air or maritime. 

Under the framework of EDA, the three Member States participating in CySAP agreed a common set of requirements and a Target Architecture for the capability. CySAP follows a modular approach allowing  to have a flexible set of functionalities by exercising a system engineering process. Current market available solutions for cyber situational awareness do not meet the entire spectrum of military requirements such as risk analysis, cyber related Courses of Action (CoA) development and assessment as well as support to decision-making. CySAP will provide situational analysis that can be integrated into the overall common operational picture of a mission, as a cyber information layer able to provide timely and accurate situational awareness. CySAP is set to obtain innovative solutions by joining efforts of leading defence industries and researchers in Europe.

The architectural design comprises several spirals to be completed in the next years subject to future investments. The possibility to introduce CySAP follow-on activities into PESCO or the EDIDP are currently explored and assessed. The next progress review meeting is scheduled for September 2019 in Spain. 

The updated EU Capability Development Plan (CDP) endorsed by the EDA Steering Board in June 2018 reconfirmed cyber defence as a priority for capability development in the EU. The CDP recognises the need for defensive cyber operations in any operational context, based on sophisticated current and predictive cyberspace situational awareness. This includes the ability to combine large amounts of data and intelligence from numerous sources in support of rapid decision making and increased automation of the data gathering, analysis and decision-support process. 

In November 2018, the European Council adopted an updated version of the EU cyber defence policy framework (CDPF).  Supporting the development of Member States’ cyber defence capabilities is a priority area where the now established CySAP project serves as a core to guide future research and operational capabilities.

‘Locked Shields’, the world’s biggest and most advanced international cyber defence exercise involving life-fire attacks, is organized annually by NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) in Tallinn. This year’s edition will take place from 9-12 April with some 1,000 experts from around 30 nations participating. EDA will support the strategic track part of the exercise.  

The exercise will see a Red team (based in Tallinn) attacking Blue Teams made up by CCD COE member states (based at exercise locations in their capitals) who will act as national rapid reaction teams deployed to assist a fictional country in handling large-scale cyber incidents and all their multiple implications. The main task of the Blue Teams is to protect and maintain their services and networks against these life attacks. Besides countering the technical attacks, information sharing, teamwork and cooperation will also be key aspects to be tested in this exercise. 

With its rich expertise and experience gained from several strategic decision-making exercises organised with Member States over recent years, EDA will support the ‘Locked Shields 2019 Strategic Track’, a parallel, table-top decision-making exercise track playing in the same fictitious, sovereign state under severe cyber-attacks from an aggressive neighbour. Participating Blue Teams will act as rapid reaction teams and advisors. High-level cyber/hybrid crisis management and legal decisions have to be made in accordance with national, EU, NATO and UN regulations by those Blue Teams. The roles of NATO, EU and UN will be played by a “White Team”, including EDA.
 

• Cyber Defence (EDA project page)
• NATO CCD COE (Locked Shields page)
  
  

EDA’s ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, launched in spring 2017 with the ambition to optimise existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe (with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4), will enter a new phase in the coming days with the publication of a call to European industry to participate in a Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) and offer possible market solutions. 

The purpose of the PMC is to gather accurate information regarding possible commercial solutions for upgrading Leopard 2A4s up to the 2A7 or equivalent version, in-line with existing technical standards and requirements. Participants are asked to respond to the PMC with proposed solutions that are sufficiently detailed and include a realistic price range and possible timelines. 

The objective is to reach out to the full European defence industry spectrum and ensure the collection of comprehensive and accurate cost data.  To this purpose, the PMC will be disseminated via the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and EU National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs). Industry will have to submit their responses to the PMC until 18 July 2019. Only responses covering full system-level solutions will be taken into further consideration.

EDA encourages the establishment of European multinational cross-border industrial partnerships as the preferred mechanism to exploit this opportunity. The Agency also considers this programme as a suitable vehicle for enhanced access for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to the cross-border supply chain.

The PMC follows EDA’s Request of Information (RFI) in 2017 through which a first contact was established with industry on this concrete programme
 

In order to support the PMC, EDA will organise a business-to-business (B2B) workshop at its premises in Brussels around mid-May. Further details on this workshop, including participation criteria and related requirements, will be communicated by EDA to industry in due time.

The aim of the B2B workshop is to promote cross-border cooperation within the EU and enhance mid-caps/small and medium enterprises’ access to defence contracts in general, and to the future OMBT-Leo2 programme (contractual) implementation in particular, by facilitating initial contacts between industrial stakeholders with relevant expertise (at full-system and / or subsystem level), in this field. Specific criteria for participation of interested industries will be part of the communication and each request will be assessed by contributing Member States experts and EDA, on a case-by-case basis.
 

The information gathered through the PMC will be assessed by EDA and governmental subject matter experts. The results of the assessment will further support contributing Member States in their national decision, and EDA in the awarding process of possible future contracts.
 

In spring 2017, EDA launched the ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, a new Pooling & Sharing initiative which aims at optimizing existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4. The concept foresees the offer of surplus Leopard platforms available in certain Member States (the ‘providers’) and transfer them (lease, rent or sell) together with an upgrading package to one or several other Member States (the ‘receivers’) interested in acquiring and introducing in-service this type of capability. The Pooling & Sharing of training, exercises and maintenance between providers and receivers, using already existing facilities, is also part of the concept. Upgrade of legacy MBTs to the latest technical standards would have a positive impact for European defence industry in the area of land systems. It would also contribute to the maintenance of technological excellence of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). Additionally, regarding economies of scale, Member States owning and operating for national purposes the same type of MBTs, can opt-in for upgrading their in-service fleet.
 

• EDA seeks European defence industry’s input on Main Battle Tank optimization (EDA news, September 2017)
  
  

EDA held a workshop in Athens recently to conclude the first phase of the Smart Blue Water Camps (SBWC) research project. 

Water infrastructure is facing pressures due to climatic changes and sometimes a lack of investment. At the same time, military installations can be insufficiently acknowledged in both distributed water management and pollution control despite their ubiquitous presence.

Against this backdrop, EDA’s SBWC research project was launched in 2017 with the Hellenic MOD as lead nation to investigate how to improve water management in military camps from sustainability, hydro-informatics, and technological perspectives. During 2017 and 2018 at sites from each of the six participating Member States involved (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain), the National Technical University of Athens collated water supply, distribution and consumption data, and made technical assessments. Bespoke recommendations were made for each of the military sites from across these different European geographic and climatic regions based on:

• detailed modelling of water and wastewater cycle of each camp using an Urban Water Cycle Optioneering Tool (UWOT)  
• assessments of alternative scenarios regarding interventions for each camp 
• consideration of social, economic, environmental and technological context factors such as population, monitoring and automation of water transmission and storage systems, budget availability, regional water quantity and quality, climate change, and the feasibility of using information and communications technology (ICT)
• development of Key Performance Indicator protocols, including economic, operational and social impacts 
• economic assessments of interventions for each camp based on modelling results.

Recommended interventions varied in scale and complexity and ranged from those of a more straightforward nature, such as the installation of grey water recycling and water harvesting systems, to more technologically sophisticated measures, such as the application of ground penetrating radar to support leak detection and control  or the use of a grid of smart sensors to enable real-time monitoring and management of water supply systems.

It was found that leakage was responsible for considerable water losses with mitigation measures costing around 40% of the annual cost of water lost to leakage in one case, thereby providing a significant return on investment.

Rainwater harvesting in another case could provide nearly two thirds of the supply required for vehicle washing. Installation of smart water grid systems would integrate ICT into the management of the water distribution systems to optimize operation of the water supply network.

The conclusions of the final report were presented and the way ahead, such as implementation of nationally based recommendations as well as potential further steps, were discussed at the workshop chaired by Richard Brewin, EDA Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems.

The European defence research community today discussed present and future opportunities as well as challenges at the “Capability-Driven Defence Research and Innovation” conference in Bucharest. Benjamin Les, Minister of National Defence of Romania, Ioan Mircea Pascu, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency opened the conference.

More than 500 high-level representatives from Ministries of Defence, defence research institutes, industry, academia and the European institutions attended the conference organised under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence and the European Defence Agency (EDA). 

The event showcased new prioritisation instruments for defence research, technology and innovation, highlighted potential synergies to be achieved on research priorities at national and European level and provided an update on the latest developments on the European Defence Fund. Moreover, the conference provided participants insights and lessons learned from some of the most successful R&T collaborative research projects which have been implemented under the framework of EDA.

Benjamin Les, Minister of Defence of Romania inaugurated the conference. “Today's event represents an excellent opportunity for all participants to analyse the various existing defense research instruments, the EDF and its impact on capability-based defense research and innovation. Such collaborative initiatives are meant to fuel future projects between EU Member States in the field of defense research”, he stated. 

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq underlined, “A new era for European defence research is on the way. In this rapidly evolving technological context, a coherent approach among Member States will be more crucial than ever. Investment in research and especially in collaborative research is a must to be able to deliver the defence capabilities for the future.”

 During the first part of the day, high-level guests including Andrei Ignat, State Secretary and Chief of the Department of Armaments from Romania and Gabriele Fioni, Director for International Cooperation and Deputy Director of CEA-Tech representing EARTO as well as Christian Munzinger, R&T Director from Airbus Defence and Space discussed with Denis Roger, EDA Director of Research Technology and Innovation prioritisation instruments for defence research, technology and innovation. They highlighted potential synergies to be achieved on research priorities at national and European level as well as the link with existing and new funding instruments. 

The research dimension is an integral part of the process of building a coherent capability landscape based on longer-term technological development. OSRA, the Overarching Research Agenda, validated by the Member States in January, is the instrument to harmonise views of relevant European defence research priorities and identify potential funding instruments. OSRA is therefore a key prioritisation instrument and has been acknowledged by its inclusion in the draft regulation of the European Defence Fund. It is all the more important as the research priorities must serve to mature technologies required to develop capabilities which respond to Member States armed forces’ needs. 

Sylvain Kainz-Huber, Head of Unit, European Commission Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Ralf Schnurr, R&T Director, Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany, and Christian Bréant, Director Advanced Studies, THALES and Dirk Tielbuerger, EDA Deputy Director and Head of EU-funded Defence Research Unit exchanged views on the impact of the European Defence Fund on future defence capability, research and innovation prospects.

In the afternoon, Guillermo Gonzalez Muñoz de Morales from ISDEFE, the largest Spanish defence engineering company, Panagiotis Kikiras, EDA Head of Technology and Innovation Unit and Shahzad Ali, EDA Capability Technologies Moderator discussed collaborative EDA R&T defence research projects. Since 2004, EDA has managed more than 180 R&T projects worth around 1 billion Euros.
 

• EDA conference page
• Romanian EU Presidency website
• OSRA (EDA factsheet)

EDA today launched ‘IdentiFunding’, an online tool which allows defence-interested stakeholders (industry - including SMEs, Ministries of Defence, research and technology entities, universities, etc.) to quickly and easily identify existing EU funding schemes available for defence-related projects. 

The new application, which is accessible via EDA’s European Funding Gateway for Defence and the SME corner, performs an instant scan of all existing defence-related EU funding opportunities based on a project’s topic, scope, objectives as well as the participants involved.

The application will thus considerably facilitate the task of defence-related project organisers wondering if their project qualifies for potential EU support.
The tool will be constantly updated to include also new funding opportunities arising under the EU’s upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, such as the European Defence Fund and the InvestEU Programme, which will bring together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the EU.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) today (19 March) published the three 2019 calls for proposals for the EU’s Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR).

The work programme includes the following calls/topics:

• Electromagnetic Spectrum Dominance: Combined radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions based on European Active Electronically Scanned Arrays for military applications (PADR-EMS-03-2019);
• Future Disruptive Defence Technologies: 

       o  Emerging Game-changers (PADR-FDDT-EMERGING-03-2019); 
       o  Challenging the future (PADR-FDDT-OPEN-03-2019);

• Unmanned Systems: Interoperability standards for military unmanned systems (PADR-US-03-2019).

Details about the calls and participation conditions can be found here. 

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is funded by the European Union. The decision on the work programme for 2019 and on the financing of the 'Preparatory action on Defence research, authorising the use of unit costs under the preparatory action was adopted by the European Commission on 19 March 2019.
 

Following the publication of the 2019 calls and two successful editions in the previous years, EDA and the European Commission will organise the third Info & Brokerage Day on the PADR. The event will take place on 11 April 2019 in Brussels. 

The Info & Brokerage Day aims at providing industry, research entities and other interested defence stakeholders with first-hand information on the 2019 PADR calls for proposals.

EDA and European Commission experts will provide participants with detailed explanations of the 2019 PADR topics, the rules and conditions for participation in the calls for proposals, as well as with the modalities and access to the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. A brokerage session with b2b meetings will allow participants to exchange the views and find potential future consortia partners. 
 

• Preparatory Action on Defence Research (EDA project page)
• PADR Info & Brokerage Day 2019
• European Commission financial decision on PADR 2019 

On 13-14 March 2019, the first ad hoc meeting of the EDA Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies Working Group was hosted in Vienna by the Austrian Energy Agency, as coordinator of the Concerted Action on Renewable Energy Sources (CA-RES). 

The purpose was to develop further the deliverables on renewable energy as part of the second phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS II) including specific project proposals on hydrogen fuel cells, self-sufficient military bases, technology feasibility assessments, energy performance contracting, and energy storage. 

It was also an opportunity to strengthen civilian-military interactions through the relationship between CF SEDSS II and CA-RES, both of which are funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. CA-RES is a structured and confidential dialogue between national authorities responsible for the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive and is co-ordinated by the Austrian Energy Agency. 
  

CF SEDSS is a European Commission initiative managed by the EDA. It aims at bringing together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practices on improving energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well increasing the protection and resilience of defence energy-related critical infrastructures. On 20 October 2017, the second phase of the Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS II) was launched. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the agreement is between the EASME executive agency and the EDA. The contract was signed on 16 October 2017 for 22 months, expiring on August 2019. 

Based on the foundations laid during the first phase of the Consultation Forum (2015-2017), the second phase has been further expanded to cover the following interrelated subjects through three main working groups (including sub-working groups): WG 1: Energy Management including Energy Efficiency (Sub-WG1: Energy Management and Sub-WG2: Energy Efficiency; WG 2: Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies; WG 3: Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and one cross-cutting theme: Finance.
 

• CF SEDSS II
• Concerted Action on Renewable Energy Sources

On 9-10 October 2019, the annual EDA Military Airworthiness Conference will be held in Lithuania.

The conference will bring together key stakeholders from national military airworthiness authorities, industry, European agencies and international organisations to discuss the latest developments in the cooperation between National Military Airworthiness Authorities (NMAAs).

Initiated by the Ministers of Defence in 2008, EDA participating Member States started this cooperation with the establishment of the Military Airworthiness Authorities Forum aiming at the harmonization of national regulations on military airworthiness in Europe. Since that moment, under auspices of the MAWA Forum, a comprehensive set of European Military Airworthiness Requirements (EMARs) has been developed and is now being implemented by the participating Member States The MAWA Forum is now focusing on increased cooperation in the area of oversight based on a new Airworthiness Roadmap that was approved last year.

The conference is an INVITE ONLY event. Details regarding the venue, conference agenda, registration and accommodation will be sent out in due time.

Inquiries regarding the event should be directed to: MAC2019@eda.europa.eu

At the Single European Sky (SES) Award Ceremony 2019 which took place on Tuesday (12 March) in the margins of the World ATM Congress (WAC) in Madrid, an Italian project nominated by EDA and aimed at improving interoperability between civil and military air navigation service providers was rewarded with a ‘Special Mention of the Jury’. 

Run by the Italian Air Force and the Italian air navigation service provider ENAV, the ATC Control System moving to i4D project is set to improve data sharing which is key to enhance civil-military interoperability and to achieve efficient and sustainable SES objectives. The project will introduce data link services based on air-ground point-to-point data communications and replace voice communication by standardised messages shared between the civilian and military controller in order to minimise voice communication and ensure consistency, availability and reliability of information flows across the civilian and military domains. 

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, who attended the Award Ceremony, said: “It is important that EDA works closely with all the European aviation organisations in view of integrating the military views into the Single European Sky. The fact that a civil-military project nominated by the Agency was rewarded with a ‘Special Mention of the Jury’ is an additional encouragement to continue to work for improved civil-military cooperation within the Single European Sky”.

With the Single European Sky Awards, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport rewards stakeholders who contribute to achieving the SES which aims to modernise and harmonise Europe's airspace management. The ceremony was one of the highlights of the ‘Europe For Aviation’ event at the WAC 2019 in which all European aviation organisations teamed up to showcase the joint efforts they make to achieve the SES. 
 

• Single European Sky Awards
• The Military in the Single European Sky (EDA brochure)

‘Europe for Aviation’ is the theme around which civil and military European aviation organisations working to implement the Single European Sky (SES) gather for two days at this year’s World ATM Congress which opened today in Madrid. Speaking at the joint ‘Europe For Aviation Partners’ conference, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed the need to accommodate civil and military requirements in the effort to develop a modern and innovative SES, as civil and military aviation share the same airspace and conduct mutually supportive activities. 

‘Working together will allow us to remain innovative. We need to act jointly in making the European airspace a digital European sky designed to accommodate the needs of both civil and military stakeholders, all types of platforms, manned and unmanned, and all types of missions, roles and applications, in a balanced and proportioned way, in peace time and in crisis situations", Mr Domecq stated

Over recent years, EDA has achieved tangible results when it comes to military integration into SES. The Military Aviation Strategy in the context of SES is in place and €93 million of EU co-funding have been awarded to military projects relating to SESAR deployment. With the support of EDA, the defence sector is involved in SES activities from the outset, providing inputs into the regulatory, technical and operational efforts aimed to enhance the security and defence dimension in SES. A common civil-military roadmap for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Air Traffic Insertion has been developed to enable seamless integration of certified RPAS alongside manned aviation from 2025. One of the eleven European Capability Development Priorities approved in the 2018 Capability Development Plan (CDP) is directly linked to SES: the integration of military air capabilities in the changing aviation sector. It will contribute to foster civil-military synergies notably through digital solutions benefiting from connectivity, automation, virtualisation and artificial intelligence in support of European industries.

The ‘Europe for Aviation’ stand and theatre (#849 and #1151) at the 2019 World ATM Congress is hosting a wide range of debates, presentations and guided walking tours, illustrating the collaboration in action between European aviation organisations working to implement SES, namely the European Commission, EUROCONTROL, SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), SESAR Deployment Manager (SESAR DM), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), European Organisation for Civil Aviation (EUROCAE) and the European Defence Agency (EDA).
 

The World ATM Congress is the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference, bringing together the world’s leading product developers, experts, stakeholders, and air navigation service providers (ANSPs).

More information on the Europe For Aviation stand is available here. 

In view of the upcoming publication of the 2019 calls for proposals for the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), EDA and the European Commission will jointly organise an Information and Brokerage Day in Brussels on 11 April 2019. The event is open to representatives from all types of companies (large, medium or small), industry associations, research organisations and universities from the EU and Norway.

During the event, which will run from from 08:30 to 17:00, EDA will provide participants with detailed information on the topics of the 2019 PADR calls, which are set to be published in the coming weeks. Participation modalities and access to the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal will also be explained. Furthermore, as it was already the case in the previous two years, a brokerage session will be organized to help attendants in finding partners for potential consortia. The Info & Brokerage Day will thus again be a unique opportunity for participants to improve their knowledge about the context, the objectives and the participation modalities of the PADR and to network with potential partners. 

More information on the 2019 PADR calls for proposals as well as on the registration process for the Info & Brokerage Day will be published soon.
 

The PADR has the objective to test the added-value of the EU budget supporting defence research, in view of a dedicated EU programme in the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework. The PADR is implemented by the EDA through a Delegation Agreement signed between the EDA and the Commission in May 2017.

The Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Energetic Materials (AMTEM) project, for which the programme arrangement was signed last December by six participating EDA Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden) as well as Norway, was officially launched at a kick-off meeting on 12/13 February. 

The event, which took place at the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL), brought together 15 European organisations working in the field of Energetic Materials, namely: ISL, Ariane Group, EURENCO, NEXTER Group, Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT), The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), NAMMO, Chemring Nobel, Polish Military Institute of Armament Technology (MIAT), Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Finish Defence Research Agency (FDRA), Oy Forcit AB, Raikka OY and Aalto University.

Additive manufacturing (AM) - or 3D-Printing - technologies have been identified as a major enabling technology to improve Europe’s industrial competitiveness. The defence sector is also exploring the potential offered by AM technologies to further develop military capabilities. Within EDA’s CapTech Ammunition Technologies, a group of Member States agreed to join forces and develop a multinational research project on the use of Additive Manufacturing for the production of Energetic Materials to be used both as propellants as well as warheads. It was this initiative that led to the AMTEM project. 

Over the next four years, the AMTEM project team will investigate and assess appropriate materials and related Additive Manufacturing production techniques, in particular with a view to producing new types of warheads and propellants with enhanced performance and ensuring faster and cheaper production processes for short series as well as rapid prototyping. The research project is also expected to help develop new munitions and missiles systems concepts with increased operational performance and further strengthen the European industrial competitiveness.
 

• R&T project launched on 3D printing of energetic materials (EDA webnews, 13 December 2018) 
• CapTech Ammunition Technologies (EDA project page)

A €9.18 million space research project with both civilian and defence implications has been awarded co-funding under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). EDA actively supported the funding application for this project run by an Italian consortium and designed to develop a RAM-EP propulsion system (use of atmosphere gases as a propellant) expected to extend the operational lifetime of spacecraft in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) areas, i.e. below an altitude of 250 km. 

The project, known as “CLOSE to Earth” (Constellation at very Low Earth Orbit based on RAM-EP Small SatellitEs), is to be implemented by a consortium which is led by the Italian Aerospace Technological Cluster (Distretto Tecnologico Aerospaziale - DTA) and also encompasses a number of other enterprises as well as universities and R&T organisations. Among the main challenges of this project are the development of an atmospheric gas collector and a Hall-effect engine capable of using the gases already present in the atmosphere as a propellant. The project also foresees the study of a new small space vehicle (under 500 kg) able to accommodate a RAM-EP propulsion system and operate at VLEO altitudes. Half of the project cost is covered by project holders, while ESIF will co-fund the remaining 50% (€ 4.59 million).

This successful ESIF-funding application supported by EDA is yet another example of how the Agency, with its expertise, can help defence-related R&T projects to access EU funding, even (or especially) if they involve small and medium-sized enterprises. It also demonstrates once again that Member States’ investments made through EDA have multiplier effects in terms of practical output. So far, EDA has a track record of ten such ESIF success stories in defence involving projects worth a total of about €26 million. 

ESIF is open to defence projects and is expected to continue supporting them during the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. 

To explore the wide range of European funding currently available to defence and dual-use projects and activities, see EDA’s European Funding Gateway for Defence.
 

• EDA’s ESIF web-platform
• EDA’s work on Space

Over 150 experts from 27 European countries and more than 20 different institutions and organisations participate this Tuesday and Wednesday (26/27 February) in Nicosia in the 3rd Conference related to the second phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS II). The Consultation Forum provides a unique platform that can assist EU Member States’ Ministries of Defence in addressing defence-related challenges in energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well as in the protection of defence energy-related critical infrastructures.

Managed by the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Consultation Forum is a European Commission initiative (DG ENER) receiving funding under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 R&I programme. EDA and the European Commission will continue to work hand in hand to deliver the last steps of the Consultation Forum.
Today’s conference was opened by Mr Savvas Angelides, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus. 

In his speech, Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, highlighted that “the extensive participation makes the Nicosia Conference the biggest one since 2015 when the project was initiated.” This, he said, reflects the continuous interest of the Ministries of Defence to apply sustainable energy models in the defence sector and to benefit from the transition to an Energy Union. “The Consultation Forum is a role model of how EDA performs simultaneously its triple mission of being the major intergovernmental prioritisation instrument at EU level in support of capability development, the preferred cooperation forum and management support structure as well as the interface with the Commission and other Agencies in accordance the Long-Term Review conclusions and recommendations endorsed by Ministers of Defence”, Mr Domecq stated. He also informed the participants that he agreed with Mr Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy, on the possible continuation of the Consultation Forum through a third phase with a higher budget and a longer duration.

Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, the Deputy Director-General of DG ENER, recalled the three key pieces of legislation in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package that have been recently approved: the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) and the Energy Performance of Building Directive.

The Nicosia Conference focusses on the development of guidelines for improving overall energy management and energy efficiency of military building stock and fixed infrastructure. It also addresses energy considerations by reviewing renewable energy sources and their use in defence infrastructure and developing guidelines on the protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure against hybrid threats. The Conference will last two days and address several topics ranging from the impact of the energy-related directives on the defence and security sector to the elaboration of defence energy-related project ideas.
 

The last of the three steps Conferences of the Consultation Forum will be hosted under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, and will take place in Bucharest on 12 and 13 June 2019.
 

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission initiative managed by the EDA. It aims at bringing together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practices on improving energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well increasing the protection and resilience of defence energy-related critical infrastructures. On 20 October 2017, the second phase of the Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS II) was launched. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the agreement is between the EASME executive agency and the EDA. The contract was signed on 16 October 2017 for 22 months, expiring on August 2019. 

Based on the foundations laid during the first phase of the Consultation Forum (2015-2017), the second phase has been further expanded to cover the following interrelated subjects through three main working groups (including sub-working groups): WG 1: Energy Management including Energy Efficiency (Sub-WG1: Energy Management and Sub-WG2: Energy Efficiency; WG 2: Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies; WG 3: Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and one cross-cutting theme: Finance.
 

• Full text of EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq speech at Nicosia conference
• About CF SEDSS II
• European Funding Gateway for Energy in Defence at www.eda.europa.eu/eufunding/energy
• Further progress in sustainable energy for defence sector 

Member States representatives together with cyber research experts from the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), industry, research organisations and academia recently met at an EDA workshop to discuss  ‘Autonomous Cyber Responses’. This research topic refers to the challenges brought about by the automation in cyber defence and includes among others self-configured networks, automated cyber resilience, decision support systems, visual analytics, autonomous mobile cyber defence agents, man-machine modules and machine learning models to address the cyber research challenges Member States’ Armed Forces are confronted with.

The objective of the workshop was to provide EDA’s Cyber Research and Technology Ad Hoc Working Group with examples of European research efforts and solutions, to identify capability gaps that could be covered with this technology and to explore new collaboration initiatives in this challenging field.

Participants acknowledged the urgency of meaningful collaborative research activities at EU level in view of building tomorrow’s defence capabilities, and supported the continuation of similar initiatives. A so-called ‘Interested Community of Experts’ (ICE) set up within the Ad Hoc Working Group will perform an evaluation of the proposals discussed at the workshop. Outline descriptions for future collaborative research projects in this field are expected to be presented to Member States in the upcoming meetings.
 

The potential benefits that European Armed Forces could draw from the use of cyber-resilient autonomous systems have also been recognised by EU Member States. One of the 11 EU Capability Development Priorities approved by Member States in June 2018 is called “Enabling capabilities for cyber responsive operations”.

The Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA) - which provides a necessary link between R&T efforts and the military tasks and long-term capability needs of the Capability Development Plan (CDP) -  identified a number of Research and Technology areas, the so-called Technology Building Blocks (TBBs), in which a cooperative approach at the European level would bring an added-value to support the development of defence capabilities. The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on Cyber Defence developed within the relevant EDA Ad Hoc Working Group in compliance with OSRA requirements provides informed prioritisation on cyber-related technologies necessary for the military while identifying opportunities for dual-use efforts and investments, be it in national, multinational or EU-funded contexts. Autonomous Cyber Response is one of the TBBs developed under the Cyber SRA.

In November 2018, the European Council adopted an updated version of the EU cyber defence policy framework (CDPF) which calls for considering cyber defence issues in the calls of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research and in the topics called for in the European Defence Fund.