European Commission · DG DEFIS

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EDIP and the Ukraine Support Instrument

The Ukraine Support Instrument is the first EU money where a Ukrainian participant is not something that “may be” included but is mandatory. The grant covers 100% of the budget, but eligibility depends on three things: who controls the company, where the components come from and who owns the design.

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Start with a one-hour consultation: we check eligibility and map out the route to a full application.

About the programme

What the programme is and who it is for

What it funds

The European Defence Industry Programme funds production ramp-up, common procurement and defence projects of common interest. One part of it – the Ukraine Support Instrument – was created to restore and modernise Ukraine’s defence industry and integrate it with Europe’s.

Who funds it

The programme is run by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). Proposals are evaluated by the Commission with the help of independent experts; the grant agreement is signed with the Commission.

Who it suits

  • Ukrainian manufacturers of weapons, unmanned and counter-drone systems, ammunition and their components
  • Joint consortia of EU and Ukrainian companies that are ramping up or localising production
  • Not for companies controlled by third countries without approved guarantees, or for enterprises from territories not under government control
Official pages: USI call document, second call (v1.1 of 3 November 2026) DG DEFIS: EDIP programme page Regulation (EU) 2025/2643 on EDIP EDIP work programme 2026–2027 as amended on 14 October 2026 DG DEFIS: the first USI call drew 58 proposals (11 November 2026) DG DEFIS: agreements with Ukraine on the EDF and EDIP entered into force (16 October 2026) Verkhovna Rada: ratification of the EDIP agreement (draft law 0391) EU Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv (EUDIO) EU–Ukraine Knowledge Hub on defence industrial cooperation
In depth

The programme in detail

EDIP (European Defence Industry Programme) is the first EU programme to fund not research but defence production itself: capacity ramp-up, common procurement by states and defence projects of common interest. Regulation (EU) 2025/2643 was adopted on 16 December 2025; the programme runs from 30 December 2025 to 31 December 2027 with a budget of EUR 1.2 billion and a separate EUR 300 million for the Ukraine Support Instrument (USI). The Commission adopted the work programme for 2026–2027 on 30 March 2026 and amended it on 14 October 2026.

Ukraine takes part through the USI. The EDIP funding agreement was signed in July 2026, the Verkhovna Rada ratified it on 16 September 2026 (Law No. 4990-IX), and on 16 October DG DEFIS announced that the agreement had entered into force. In USI calls the only eligible countries are EU Member States and Ukraine, and a proposal without a Ukrainian participant will not be accepted. The first call, for missiles, ammunition and bombs with a budget of EUR 184.5 million, closed on 10 November 2026: 58 proposals from participants in 17 EU Member States and Ukraine, 59% of them joint EU–Ukraine consortia.

The second USI call is open now – unmanned systems and means of countering them. The budget is EUR 82 million, with up to EUR 10 million per project and an action duration of 36–60 months, ending by 31 December 2033. An optional protection work package of up to EUR 200,000 can be added to the grant. In November 2026 a caveat was added to the call document: if funds from the Strategic Defence Industrial Partnership arrive, grants for EU–Ukraine consortia with a ramp-up effect by the end of 2027 may rise to EUR 30 million.

It is important not to confuse the USI with the “core” part of EDIP. In the programme’s own calls for production ramp-up (IRA) and common procurement (CPA), only EU Member States and associated countries – that is, Norway – are eligible; Ukraine is not on the list. So today a Ukrainian company has one route into EDIP: Ukraine Support Instrument calls and BraveTech EU cascade grants. The programme suits manufacturers with a serial or pre-serial product and a plan to expand capacity. It does not suit those still at the research stage: for that there are the European Defence Fund and Brave1 grants.

Application status: Accepting applications

The second Ukraine Support Instrument call is open – unmanned systems and countering them (EDF-EDIP-USI-2027-LS-IRA-CUXS): a budget of EUR 82 million according to the call document (EUR 80 million on the portal), up to EUR 10 million per project, deadline 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. The first call (missiles, ammunition and bombs, EUR 184.5 million) closed on 10 November 2026: 58 proposals, with results in March 2027.

Programme terms

Key facts about “EDIP and the Ukraine Support Instrument”

Only what is confirmed in the official programme sources, as of 13.11.2026.

What it is

Regulation (EU) 2025/2643 of 16 December 2025: EUR 1.2 billion for the programme and EUR 300 million for the Ukraine Support Instrument, running until 31 December 2027. The amended work programme allocates EUR 303.5 million to the USI.

Money under the USI

A lump sum covering 100% of the agreed budget. The minimum action size is EUR 2 million, indirect costs are 7%, pre-financing is usually 35%, followed by payments for completed work packages.

Who applies

Legal entities from EU countries and Ukraine. A Ukrainian company can be a beneficiary, the coordinator and even the sole applicant. A consortium has up to 15 participants, at least one of them established and managed in Ukraine.

Three eligibility rules

No control by a third country (other than Ukraine) without approved guarantees. Components from outside the EU and Ukraine make up no more than 35% of the value. Design authority stays with the participants.

How proposals are scored

Six criteria weighted 2/2/2/1/2/3, a maximum of 60 points and a pass threshold of 39; there is no minimum for an individual criterion. Results of the second call come in June 2027, grant signature in September 2027.

BraveTech EU under the USI

EUR 36.3 million as a direct grant to the Innovation Development Fund (Brave1): at least 96.5% will go to cascade calls for EU and Ukrainian companies, up to EUR 200,000 per project, with more than 170 projects planned. Call dates have not yet been announced.

Sources: USI call document, second call (v1.1 of 3 November 2026), DG DEFIS: EDIP programme page, Regulation (EU) 2025/2643 on EDIP, EDIP work programme 2026–2027 as amended on 14 October 2026, DG DEFIS: the first USI call drew 58 proposals (11 November 2026), DG DEFIS: agreements with Ukraine on the EDF and EDIP entered into force (16 October 2026), Verkhovna Rada: ratification of the EDIP agreement (draft law 0391), EU Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv (EUDIO), EU–Ukraine Knowledge Hub on defence industrial cooperation.

Check terms and deadlines on the official programme page before applying: they are updated from round to round.

Expert consultation

Discuss “EDIP and the Ukraine Support Instrument” with an expert before you write the application

A one-hour online session with a GetGrant specialist who works with this programme. You get an honest answer on whether you qualify and a plan for the coming weeks.

How we help with this programme

  • We check eligibility to apply: the ownership and control structure, the origin of components, the rights to the design. This is where proposals drop out before evaluation even starts.
  • We help build a consortium with EU partners and allocate roles and work packages to fit the lump sum logic.
  • We prepare the proposal in English: Part B of up to 70 pages, the detailed budget table, ownership control declarations and the procurement strategy.
Analysis

Requirements, stages and what to watch for

Our analysis is based on the official programme rules and GetGrant materials. Check the current call before applying: conditions change from round to round.

01Applicant requirements

  • Eligible countries in USI calls are EU Member States and Ukraine. Enterprises from territories not under the control of the Government of Ukraine are not admitted.
  • A single applicant is possible only if it is established and managed in Ukraine. A consortium must include at least one such Ukrainian participant; the maximum is 15 legal entities.
  • A participant is not controlled by a non-associated third country (other than Ukraine) or an entity from one. Exceptions apply only with approved guarantees or with measures resulting from foreign investment screening.
  • The ownership control declaration is mandatory for every participant, including associated partners.
  • Subcontracted work and the assets the grant pays for must be in eligible countries. The eligibility conditions must be met on the deadline date.
  • Not funded: cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines, lethal autonomous weapons without human control, and projects started before 5 March 2024.

02What is funded and on what terms

  • Industrial reinforcement actions (IRA): ramp-up, modernisation and localisation of defence production in Ukraine and the EU.
  • The grant is a lump sum covering 100% of the assessed budget. The minimum action size is EUR 2 million; in the second call the maximum is EUR 10 million per project.
  • Indirect costs are 7%. Pre-financing is usually 35%; the rest is paid for each completed work package, not against a report on actual costs.
  • An optional protection work package – up to EUR 200,000 on top of the main grant.
  • Action duration is 36–60 months, ending no later than 31 December 2033.
  • Components originating outside the EU and Ukraine make up no more than 35% of the value across the whole action; a report on the origin of components is a mandatory project deliverable.
  • Design authority stays with the participants. For ammunition and missiles, a legally binding commitment to obtain it by 31 December 2033 is accepted.

03Selection stages and timing

  • An EU Login account and a PIC for every participant on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
  • The proposal: online Part A and Part B of up to 70 pages. Annexes: the detailed budget table, participant information, the list of infrastructure, ownership control declarations and the procurement strategy.
  • Part B and the annexes are submitted as a single ZIP archive with AES-256 encryption, up to 100 MB; the password is sent via EUSurvey before the deadline, or the archive is encrypted with the DEFEND-S tool.
  • Evaluation: six criteria weighted 2/2/2/1/2/3, a maximum of 60 points, threshold 39.
  • Second call (unmanned and counter-drone systems): opened on 17 June 2026, deadline 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, results in June 2027, grant signature in September 2027.
  • First call (missiles, ammunition and bombs): closed on 10 November 2026, results in March 2027.

04Specifics and pitfalls

  • A missing or incomplete ownership control declaration makes the participant ineligible, and sometimes the whole proposal inadmissible.
  • Forms must be taken from the submission system, not from the templates on the topic page: the call document names this as a mistake in its own right.
  • Classified information must not be uploaded to the portal. It is exchanged under the EU–Ukraine agreement on the security of information and the Security Aspects Letter.
  • Ineligible costs in the budget table reduce the lump sum. A management work package above 10% of costs invites comments.
  • Lump sum means that money is paid only for a completed work package. A package that depends on a single supplier or a single permit is worth splitting.
  • A bank guarantee, if one is required, usually has to be issued by a bank from the EU.
  • Calls under the “core” EDIP programme (production ramp-up and common procurement) are not open to Ukrainian beneficiaries: only EU Member States and Norway are eligible there.

05What to prepare in advance

  • A PIC and validated legal entity status on the portal – for you and for every partner.
  • A full ownership chart down to the ultimate beneficial owners, with supporting documents: the ownership control declaration is drawn up from it.
  • A table of the origin of the product’s components with their value: the share from outside the EU and Ukraine must be no more than 35%.
  • Documents on the rights to the design: in-house developments, licences with the right to modify, contracts with design bureaus.
  • EU partners and a preliminary agreement on roles. A consortium takes two to three months to form, so for the deadline of 16 February 2027 you need to start now.
  • A capacity ramp-up plan with a measurable result for each work package: equipment, floor space, staff, output volumes.
Support

What we do

You are not left alone with the application form: we prepare the document package and support you until the decision.

  1. 1

    Review and eligibility check

    A short call or email exchange: whether you and the project meet the conditions, which programme and amount fit, and what is missing.

  2. 2

    Application in the programme format

    We write the application exactly in the form the programme requires: business plan, technology description, financial plan and budget that are consistent with each other.

  3. 3

    Documents and verification

    We collect annexes: cost estimates, supplier quotes, pitch deck, documents for premises or land. Everything is checked against the requirements before submission.

  4. 4

    Submission and defence

    You sign and submit the application; we stay with you at every step and prepare you for the interview, pitch or jury session.

For this programme

  • We check eligibility to apply: the ownership and control structure, the origin of components, the rights to the design. This is where proposals drop out before evaluation even starts.
  • We help build a consortium with EU partners and allocate roles and work packages to fit the lump sum logic.
  • We prepare the proposal in English: Part B of up to 70 pages, the detailed budget table, ownership control declarations and the procurement strategy.
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What we say plainly

  • No grant is guaranteed. The decision is made by the funder: the state, a fund or a jury. We build a strong and consistent package, but we do not influence the decision.
  • You submit the application yourself. The applicant submits and signs the application in Diia, on the USF portal or the EU portal. We prepare the documents and support you, but do not apply on your behalf.
  • We quote the price after the first conversation. The scope depends on the programme, the amount and what you already have. We state the cost and timing before work begins.
Our services

How GetGrant can help with this programme

Choose the format: a one-hour expert consultation, a turnkey application or preparatory work. Prices are listed where they are fixed; for the rest we quote after a short conversation.

Consultation

Consultation with a GetGrant expert

An online meeting on your project: eligibility, realistic amount, weak points of the application and a preparation plan.

€92 · per hour

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Service

Grant application writing

We prepare the application for the call you chose: from structuring the idea to the budget and a final review before submission.

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Project commercialisation

We move your development into market terms: who buys it, at what price, and which steps come first.

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Project audit

An independent check of a project already running: whether you are on schedule and on budget, and what the donor will see in the report.

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Applying to “EDIP and the Ukraine Support Instrument”?

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