Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery

The Dual-Use Drones Innovative Programme is a European initiative supporting SMEs that already belong to the dual-use market to develop drone projects that adapt their business models, processes and products to address civil, digital, social and environmental needs.

Objectives

The Programme aims to support SMEs in:

1. the technological maturation of their drone solutions,
2. the structuring of their innovation strategy,
3. improvement and adaptation of their business models, processes and products to address civil, digital, social and environmental needs.

Support Offered

Selected SMEs will benefit from:

·Individual assessment and roadmap definition.

·      Mentorship throughout the Programme.

·Tailored technical, regulatory, business and testing services as explained in Annex 3.

·Access to training and internationalisation support.

·Possibility to participate in the Innovation Drone Alliance.

·      Equity-free funding of up to €35,000 per SME.

Some activities are mandatory, while others are optional depending on the SME’s needs.

Each selected SME will implement an Innovation Plan, which will serve as the main reference for participation in the Programme.

Submission Process

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Wiin.io online platform.

The deadline to apply is 30^th of September 2026 at 5pm CEST

Application Form

Applicants must complete the online application form and upload all required information and mandatory supporting documents as specified on the submission platform.

Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Each SME may submit one application written in English only.

Applicants may be contacted for clarification during the evaluation process. Failure to respond within the specified timeframe may result in ineligibility of the application.

Evaluation and Selection

Eligible applications will be evaluated by independent experts based on the following criteria:

1. Excellence and Innovation – 30 points
2. Quality and Implementation – 40 points
3. Impact – 30 points

To be considered for selection, applications must:

1. achieve a minimum overall score of 50/100, and
2. score at least 50% of the maximum points in each evaluation criterion.

Eligibility Conditions

Eligible applicants must be manufacturing SMEs operating in the drone sector that seek to upgrade their product technologically and to develop or strengthen Dual-use applications. They need to meet all of the following conditions:

·Be an SME according to EU rules (Recommendation 2003/361/EC[1]), which means:

oBe independent or compliant with EU definitions of autonomous partner or linked enterprises.

oEmploy fewer than 250 persons and

o  have an annual turnover ≤ €50 million, or an annual balance sheet total ≤ €43 million.

To ensure you have the correct status, Applicants are asked to fill in the SME self-assessment from the European Commission and upload the result on the Application Form.

·Have at least one drone product at TRL 6 or higher and commit to upgrading the TRL by at least one level during participation in the Programme (a proof of TRL will be required during the application process).

·      Be legal entities established and operating in:

o  An EU Member State, or

o  A country participating in the EU Single Market Programme/COSME Strand

·Submit a full application in English including all required proofs as detailed in Section 3.2 of the Guide for Applicants.

SMEs will remain eligible throughout the Programme even if they temporarily exceed SME financial thresholds during project implementation.

NOT eligible for the ECDI Dual-Use Innovative Programme are:

·      Applications focused solely on market access without product development

·      Companies such as: Software-only companies (including SaaS providers), Companies providing drone-based services or operations, Data processing, analytics, or AI companies without a proprietary drone-related hardware product, Consultancy, engineering, or training providers, Companies commercialising solutions based exclusively on third-party drone hardware, Companies that do not develop and manufacture a tangible drone-related product, component, subsystem, or infrastructure

·      SMEs without an eligible product (below TRL 6)

·Applications that are not from the Dual-use market or do not comply with the requested proof of belonging to this market as detailed in Section 3.2

Applicants must not:

·Be bankrupt, under liquidation, or considered an “enterprise in difficulty” under Regulation (EU) No 651/2014.

·      Have convictions for fraud, financial irregularities, or illegal business practices.

Be subject to exclusion from EU funding or double funding restrictions.

Number of SMEs to be Supported

The Programme aims to support around 10 SMEs:

The consortium reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Further Information

1. Guide for Applicants
2. ECDI website
3. ECDI LinkedIn

Contact: [email protected] and [email protected]

[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32003H0361