EUDIS Business Accelerator Opens Spring 2026 Call as EU Pushes to Industrialize Defence Innovation
The European Union has opened applications for the Spring 2026 cohort of the EUDIS Business Accelerator, a flagship initiative under the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), aimed at accelerating the industrial readiness of defence-focused startups and scale-ups across Europe.
The Call for Applications runs from 16 December 2025 to 25 January 2026, with the selected cohort scheduled to launch at the end of March 2026. The programme is powered by the European Commission and forms part of the EU’s broader effort to close the gap between defence innovation and scalable industrial production.
From Innovation to Industrial Integration
Unlike many civilian accelerators, the EUDIS Business Accelerator is explicitly structured around defence industrial integration, rather than early-stage experimentation. The programme will support 20 startups and scale-ups developing technologies relevant to the European defence ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on operational validation, industrial partnerships, and access to end users.
Participants will undergo an eight-month programme combining on-site and distributed activities across multiple European locations. Five in-person bootcamps are planned across different regions, connecting companies with defence primes, military end-users, investors, and testing facilities.
Each selected company is eligible for a €120,000 non-dilutive seed voucher, allocated based on progress against predefined programme objectives. Additional performance-based rewards will be awarded to top-performing participants.
Access to Defence-Specific Assets
A defining feature of the accelerator is structured access to defence-relevant testing and validation environments — a critical bottleneck for many European defence startups. Companies will be able to validate and simulate their solutions in realistic scenarios, addressing one of the key barriers to adoption within national armed forces and defence supply chains.
The programme also provides more than 300 hours of tailored coaching per company, delivered by defence industry professionals, former military experts, and sector-specific advisors.
Eligibility and Strategic Scope
The accelerator is open to EU- and Norway-based startups and scale-ups developing solutions for the defence industry. Eligible companies must not be controlled by entities from non-associated third countries, reflecting the EU’s growing focus on strategic autonomy and supply-chain security.
In parallel, the programme is also recruiting defence professionals — including coaches, trainers, and field experts — to support participating companies and contribute domain expertise.
Timeline Highlights
Key milestones for the Spring 2026 cohort include:
- 16 December 2025 – Opening of Call for Applications
- 7 January 2026 – Online informational webinar
- 25 January 2026 – Closing of applications
- 5–6 February 2026 – Online pitching sessions
- 30–31 March 2026 – Official programme launch in Belgium
Part of a Broader EU Defence Shift
The EUDIS Business Accelerator reflects a wider strategic shift within the EU: moving from fragmented defence innovation efforts toward structured industrial pipelines capable of delivering deployable capabilities at scale.
As European defence budgets increase and demand for sovereign capabilities grows, initiatives like EUDIS aim to shorten the path from prototype to procurement — particularly for SMEs and emerging defence technology firms that traditionally struggle to navigate military requirements, certification, and market access.
For Europe’s defence industrial base, the success of such programmes will ultimately be measured not by the number of startups accelerated, but by how many of them transition into long-term suppliers within national and multinational defence programmes.
