BattleVerse: up to EUR 60,000 for defence startups and SMEs to run a six-month experiment in AI, simulation and drone swarms, apply by 16 November

The BattleVerse project, financed by the European Union through the European Defence Fund under grant agreement No. 101224034, has opened its first call for experiments. The initiative aims to integrate advanced simulation software solutions into the BattleVerse ecosystem to strengthen European defence capabilities, military planning, and training frameworks.

The call provides lump-sum financial support of up to EUR 60,000 per beneficiary and up to EUR 180,000 per experiment, with an overall allocated budget of EUR 1.2 million covering up to 100% of eligible costs. Applications must be submitted by 16 November 2026 at 17:00 CET.

What is funded

The call supports six-month technological experiments addressing three technical topics in defence simulation and mission planning. Funded activities focus on developing, testing, and validating software solutions that can be integrated into dynamic operational frameworks.

Topic 1 covers large language models, symbolic reasoning, game theory, and AI tools for strategic decision-making and mission planning under uncertainty, ensuring human operators retain full decision authority. Topic 2 addresses multi-physics simulation capabilities for surface and submarine warfare, electronic warfare, and multi-domain combat across land, air, and naval environments.

Topic 3 targets distributed artificial intelligence and machine learning for autonomous unmanned systems (UxVs) operating in coordinated swarms. Funded projects in this stream must investigate resilient communication, collaborative swarm behaviors, and adaptive task execution under human operational supervision.

Who can apply

Eligibility is restricted to startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Applicants must be legally established in and controlled from EU Member States, Norway, or Ukraine, with Ukraine explicitly recognized as eligible.

Proposals may be submitted by individual applicants or small consortia comprising one to three beneficiaries. All participating entities must meet the startup or SME definition and satisfy relevant geographic requirements.

Conditions and requirements

Selected projects receive a lump-sum grant covering up to 100% of costs, capped at EUR 60,000 per participating company and EUR 180,000 per experiment involving three partners. All experiments must be completed within a fixed duration of six months.

Beyond financial capital, beneficiaries receive technical coaching and guidance directly from the BattleVerse consortium. Participation also offers structured validation of developed technologies within the European defence innovation ecosystem.

Practical tip. Review the recording of the consortium’s informative webinar before drafting your proposal, and ensure your technological architecture guarantees human oversight over AI components, as this is an explicit requirement across the strategic planning and swarm robotics topics.

How to apply

Applications must be prepared and submitted online through the dedicated EMS platform. Consortia must clearly detail their technical scope, work plan for the six-month execution phase, and alignment with one of the three open call topics.

Submissions close strictly on 16 November 2026 at 17:00 CET. Late submissions will not be evaluated, so applicants should ensure that administrative details and platform registrations are completed well ahead of the deadline.

Applications are submitted on the donor’s page: battleverse-project.eu.