Defence: nine R&D projects selected

The joint call for projects was launched in July 2025 by the Directorate of Defence, the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Research and Higher Education, in collaboration with the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) and Luxinnovation.

The objective is to promote the innovation capacities of Luxembourg's industry and research players and to facilitate the integration of national actors into defence programmes and value chains at EU or NATO level.

Purely defence projects

For the first time, this joint call for projects focused on purely defence projects, in order to meet NATO's new requirements as part of the commitment by all Allies to invest 3.5% of GDP in essential defence needs by 2035.

At the same time, an interministerial initiative aims to meet the European Union's requirement to invest at least 2% of the national defence effort in R\&D projects.

The nine selected projects in detail

A total of 30 consortia composed of companies and national research centres submitted full project proposals, evaluated by a thematic panel. Nine of these 30 projects have been selected for funding from the Directorate of Defence:

• DRONE-SENSE

  (Amphinicy Luxembourg – University of Luxembourg (SnT))
  Innovative IT solution combining field-based radio frequency sensors, advanced security technologies and artificial intelligence to detect, locate and counter drones and interference that can threaten satellite ground communication stations in real time.
  Total project budget: €1.34 million 

• NORA 3D

  (Artec Europe – University of Luxembourg (SnT))
  Innovative real-time 3D mapping solution for complex environments, such as urban areas or without GPS, allowing military forces and autonomous robots to better navigate, analyse their environment and make decisions in difficult conditions.
  Total project budget: € 2.11 million 

• DLT-SENTINEL

  (Edda Luxembourg – LIST)
  Secure and decentralized platform for real-time monitoring of military movements across borders, ensuring the traceability, authenticity and reliability of data, including in degraded or non-connectivity environments.
  Total project budget: € 1.41 million 

• TULARS

  (Gradel LW – LIST)
  Ultra-light and multifunctional composite structure, combining mechanical strength and radar absorption in a single material, thanks to an absorbent foam core reinforced with carbon fiber ribs. It thus reduces the weight of defence platforms (drones or vehicles) by 30 to 40%, while improving their autonomy.
  Total project budget: € 1.47 million 

• DEPCON

  (Integrasys – LIST)
  Automated system that ensures the security of communications through networks, radios and satellites.
  Total project budget: € 1.27 million 

• HYDRA

  (LMO, Integrasys – LIST)
  Cooperative space defence system to protect strategic satellites in geostationary orbit, by combining optical and radio frequency sensors, intelligent on-board processing and secure inter-satellite links, without depending on ground infrastructure.
  Total project budget: € 1.62 million 

• AGVMDP

  (Luxbotix – University of Luxembourg (SnT))
  An autonomous, modular, electric and solar ground platform, capable of operating in GPS-free environments thanks to resilient and satellite-independent navigation. It is designed for logistics, medical evacuation, counter-drone and surveillance missions.
  Total project budget: € 2.07 million 

• SENTINEL

  (OQ Technology – University of Luxembourg (SnT))
  Low Earth orbit satellite architecture combining communication and sensing to protect 5G-NTN uplinks against jamming, spoofing and electronic attacks, in order to strengthen the resilience of defence communications.
  Total project budget: € 2.28 million 

• REDEFENCE-CF

  (Uplift360 Europe – LIST)
  Recycling carbon fibre waste from the defence industry to produce a heat shield for military vehicles and drone propellers that are both light and strong, reducing costs, CO₂ emissions and import dependency.
  Total project budget: € 1.56 million

"We congratulate the Luxembourg companies that have participated in this call for projects and that are growing in number," says Caroline Muller, Manager Defence - Business Relationship Management at Luxinnovation. "Through their collaboration with national research, our stakeholders are making a concrete contribution to strengthening innovation in defence and supporting the implementation of Luxembourg's defence strategy."

Next call for projects: information webinar on 9 July

A new call for R&D projects in the field of defence will be launched during the summer, with a project submission period between mid-September and mid-December 2026.

"This upcoming fourth edition promises to be even more competitive, given the large number of applications received during the 2025 edition," notes Rebecca Damotte, Defence Innovation & Technology Advisor at Luxinnovation. "A clear understanding of the defence use case for which the solution is being developed will be decisive."

A webinar will be held on the morning of 9 July. It will present the objectives of this new call for projects and the application preparation process, and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Detailed information and the registration link will be posted soon on luxinnovation.lu.