On 28 January 2026, the first cascade funding call of the MaJoR project under the European Defence Fund opened. With this call, MaJoR supports SMEs and start-ups in developing innovative technologies for the maintenance, joining and repair of multi-material and composite structures for air, sea and land defence applications. The call invites up to 30 different organisations to contribute to concrete innovation challenges across these three domains. The call closes on 25 March 2026 at 12:00 CET.
Focus and themes
The MaJoR project focuses on modernising defence systems and improving the durability of future platforms. Within this first cascade funding call, proposals are expected to align with one or more of the following themes:
- Hybrid structures for defence platforms, including multi-material design, joining and reversible interfaces
- Innovative joining technologies and processes for multi-material structures
- Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) and embedded sensor architectures
- Non-destructive testing of bonded joints for maintenance, repair and diagnostics
- Digitalisation, AI and decision support tools for structural assessment and defence maintenance
Funding and support
Successful applicants will receive up to €60,000 in financial support and participate in a six-month business development support programme, aimed at strengthening and scaling their defence-related activities.
Eligibility and deadline
The call is open to SMEs and start-ups established in EU Member States, Norway or Ukraine. Ukrainian organisations are explicitly encouraged to apply. The deadline for submitting proposals is 25 March 2026 at 12:00 CET.
