On Thursday, July 16, the European Commission issued a statement celebrating the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Agile and Rapid Innovation in Defense Program (AGILE), aimed at bringing disruptive defense technology from the lab to the field at record speed.
The Commission proposed in March 2026 the new pilot funding instrument AGILE, endowed with 115 million euros. This program will accelerate the development and testing of disruptive innovations in defense and their market adoption, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and drones, focusing on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, including startups and expanding companies.
The agreement signed last Thursday will allow the launch of AGILE in early 2027, “facilitating,” the statement notes, “the rapid delivery to member states and partner countries of emerging and innovative defense products developed by new actors in the sector, so they can develop, test, and implement new technologies and cost-effective solutions much faster than currently, in response to the urgent defense needs they face. The speed with which the European Parliament and the Council reached this agreement reflects their shared commitment to the timely implementation of the program, in line with the agility that AGILE seeks to bring to the European defense innovation ecosystem.”
The text of the agreed Regulation will now enter the formal adoption process by the European Parliament and the Council in the coming weeks, to ensure its rapid entry into force. The instrument is expected to be operational from early 2027 to ensure the rapid delivery of innovative defense solutions to member states and third countries partners.
