European Commission Opens Applications for Cohort 2 of the EUDIS Business Accelerator

Following the successful launch of EUDIS Business Accelerator Cohort #1 , applications are now open for Cohort #2, which will recruit a new batch of 20 companies and kick off at the end of March 2026. The call will be open until 25 January 2025.

The EUDIS Business Accelerator provides tailored, high-intensity support to European start-ups and scale-ups through an eight-month programme structured around five technical and business bootcamps embedded in key defence industrial ecosystems across Europe.

Participating companies gain operational insight into end-user needs, refine their business development and go-to-market strategies, and benefit from targeted training and one-to-one coaching delivered by sector specialists. The programme also offers unique networking opportunities, investor engagement, and direct exposure to defence stakeholders shaping capability requirements and procurement priorities.

Each selected company completing the programme will receive a €120 000 seed-financing voucher to accelerate its commercial and technological trajectory. Top performing companies will also receive an additional reward voucher.

The EUDIS Business Accelerator programme will focus on six technology themes and feature one open topic:

• Information and Decision Superiority
• Autonomous Systems and Robotics for Operational Advantage
• Counter-Drone and Protection Against Mass Low-Cost Threats
• Sovereign and Resilient Defence Infrastructure
• Next-Generation Human Performance, Training and Protection
• Scalable Manufacturing and Adaptive Sustainment for High-Intensity Operations
• Open topic: Disruptive Technologies for Defence Superiority

In addition to welcoming defence-focused start-ups and scale-ups from EU Member States and Norway, the programme invites experts, practitioners, and ecosystem enablers from across the European defence landscape to apply as coaches and trainers to support the upcoming cohort.

More information and the application portal are available on the EUDIS Business Accelerator website (https://www.eudis-business-accelerator.eu/)