Grants and preferential financing for the defence and dual-use sector – second half of 2026

The second half of 2026 is a key period for companies investing in defence technologies and dual-use products. A range of programmes are running or planned, offering:

• grants for research and development of new defence technologies,
• support for investments increasing defence and dual-use production capacity,
• financing for projects strengthening Europe’s security and strategic independence.

Who is it for?

For companies of all sizes – large enterprises and SMEs – as well as consortia involving other companies and research institutions.

What forms of support are available?

• grants under selected instruments of up to 80–100% of eligible costs,
• preferential repayable financing,
• guarantees – securing repayment of working capital or investment loans.

Example calls for the defence and/or dual-use sector

Directly from the European Commission:
EDIP – increasing production capacity and readiness to fulfil urgent defence orders – calls open until 13 October 2026 or 17 February 2027 – support of up to 100% of investment costs.

Nationwide (Poland):
BGK – Loan for the manufacturing of dual-use products – for SMEs – call open until 28 January 2027 – support of up to 70% of investment costs.
NCBR/PARP – STEP Initiative – for SMEs and large enterprises – support for both R&D work (up to 80% of costs) and implementation/investment (up to 75% of costs) – calls open until January 2027.

Regional:
Świętokrzyskie region – support for projects expanding production capacity, up to 70% of investment costs – call open until 20 August 2026.
Podkarpackie region – support for R&D projects up to 80% of costs, or R&D infrastructure/investment projects up to 70% of investment costs – calls open from 21 September to 30 October 2026.
Lubelskie region – support for investment projects up to 70% of investment costs – call open until 15 September 2026.

“The defence and dual-use sector is currently experiencing one of the largest waves of public funding in the history of the industry in Poland and Europe. Companies that verify their eligibility for these programmes now gain a genuine head start – application deadlines are tight, and competition for funding is increasing” – comments a Thedy & Partners expert from the Grants and Incentives team.

Check whether your project qualifies

Get in touch with us to check whether your investment or development plans could be financed under the above programmes.