On Thursday, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Security and Defence adopted their position on creation of the Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation (AGILE). The new proposal aims to accelerate innovation cycles, and support the uptake of new technologies by member state armed forces and European defence contractors, in order to facilitate their scaling-up across Europe. Technologies include AI, quantum computing, robotics, cyber capabilities, space systems, and unmanned autonomous systems (UAS).

In their amendments to the draft regulation, MEPs highlight the need for a swift, accessible and results‑oriented support for SMEs, including innovative start‑ups and scale‑ups. They propose that whenever possible, grants under the programme shall take the form of lump sums, to allow SMEs to focus on the achievement of agreed production.

MEPs also propose to tighten controls over the transfer and ownership of the results of AGILE support,…