European Defence Needs Innovators

As a part of this role, we are deeply involved in the procurement procedures that enable equipment and services to be provided to national governments by the private sector. Before the formation of the EDA, providing military equipment and services was often a very problematic affair. Since individual governments had their own rules and procedures which were separate to every other EU member, selling and delivering on contracts could often require many changes to be made from one contract to another.

At the EDA we have been working hard to harmonise the rules and procedures put in place by individual military agencies so that cooperation between forces can be as smooth and efficient as possible. With many joint deployments underway each year - humanitarian, peace keeping and combat missions - it was vital that our combined forces could work together seamlessly.

As these changes have compounded over time, it is now easier than ever to work with European governments and deliver one product or service to multiple countries without needing to make costly alterations and undertake additional rounds of testing.

The hope of all European member states is that these procurement improvements will help to stimulate a new round of innovation in the European defence sector, leading to new technologies, armaments and services that can help to provide capability improvements and create jobs.

With this in mind, the European Defence Agency now assists both SMEs and established defence sector companies with their tenders to European governments. Our goal is to make the process as simple, fast and cost effective for both parties. Details of the currently available projects across the EU can be found on the EDA website.

http://www.eda.europa.eu