EDF-2026-RA-MCBRN-DST

CBRN decontamination systems and technologies

Status
open for submission
Programme
European Defence Fund (EDF)
Action type
EDF Research Actions
Opens
11 Feb 2026
Deadline
29 Sep 2026
Fetched
15 Jul 2026, 07:18 UTC
Plain-language summary

Develop nanosorbent-based CBRN decontamination systems for military equipment, focusing on efficiency, safety, and minimal water use.

This call seeks research on new chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) decontamination technologies. It targets nanosorbents for effective cleaning of large military equipment post-mission. The goal is to create safe, reliable, and water-efficient solutions usable in portable and mobile devices.

Likely relevant for

  • Defence technology researchers
  • Chemical and biological decontamination experts
  • Nanomaterials developers
  • Military equipment maintenance specialists

Project signals

Focus on military post-mission decontaminationDevelopment of portable and mobile decontamination devicesUse of catalysts or UV radiation for neutralizationCompliance with national and international clearance standards

What it funds

  • Research and development of nanosorbents for CBRN agent absorption
  • Design of portable backpack and larger mobile decontamination devices
  • Studies on automation of military decontamination processes
  • Technologies using catalysts and UV radiation for agent neutralization
  • Solutions minimizing water use in decontamination
  • Conformance to national and international clearance standards for equipment transport

Expected outcomes

  • Efficient, safe, and reliable CBRN decontamination systems
  • Portable and scalable devices for small and large equipment
  • Improved post-mission clearance decontamination methods
  • Technologies applicable to biological emergencies and pandemics

Who can apply / participate

  • Research organisations
  • Universities
  • Industry partners
  • Defence agencies
  • Check call document for consortium composition rules
  • Eligible countries as per section 6 of call document
  • Must comply with EDF programme regulations and security instructions
  • Exact consortium size and composition
  • Specific country eligibility details

Must check before shortlisting

  • Eligibility criteria in section 6 of call document
  • Consortium requirements and country eligibility
  • Specific technical readiness levels required

Money

EUR 15 million allocated for this topic under EDF-2026-RA call.

  • Total indicative budget — 15000000EUR
    For EDF-2026-RA-MCBRN-DST topic in 2026

Application notes

  • Single-stage submission model.
  • Proposal page limits and layout as per section 5 of call document and Part B of Application Form.
  • Eligibility and admissibility conditions detailed in sections 6 and 7 of call document.
  • Evaluation criteria and award process described in sections 8 and 9 of call document.
  • Legal and financial set-up in section 10 of call document.
  • Prepare proposal following call document and application form templates.
  • Submit proposal via Funding & Tenders Portal before deadline.
  • Ensure compliance with all eligibility and admissibility criteria.
  • Check eligibility of countries and participants carefully.
  • Review security and confidentiality requirements in EDF Programme Security Instruction.
  • Confirm consortium composition and roles as per call document.

Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 7 Jul 2026, 12:16 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.

Related calls

These funding calls are closely related and may be worth considering as part of the same funding landscape.

Official source text

Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.

Topic description

Scope: Current military decontamination processes are manual and time-consuming, while automation could improve efficiency, safety and control. Clearance decontamination, which ensures that equipment is safe for transport and disposal, is a challenging process that may require advanced technologies. A new approach to CBRN decontamination is needed that is simple, safe, reliable and uses minimal water. New technologies such as catalysts and UV radiation are being considered to neutralise agents without damaging equipment. Decontamination is also critical in the management of biological emergencies, including epidemics and pandemics, and is not limited to military scenarios. Solid sorbents, including nanosorbents, are promising, with advantages such as low toxicity and non-corrosiveness. Clearance decontamination should conform to nationally established standards and guidelines so that the equipment can be transported through non-EU countries and/or returned to its country of origin or final destination. This topic aims to explore solutions for the thorough decontamination of large military equipment, in particular for post-mission decontamination. It focuses on the development of nanosorbents capable of effectively absorbing CBRN agents even in the presence of water. These sorbents can be applied using portable backpack devices and larger mobile devices, enabling efficient decontamination on both a small and large scale. This topic contributes to the STEP objectives as defined in the STEP Regulation in the target investment area of defence technologies. Targeted types of activities: Generating knowledge, studies and design, not excluding upstream activities eligible for research actions. Indicative budget: EUR 15 000 000 for this topic under the EDF-2026-RA call. Indicative number of proposals to be funded: Several proposals may be funded for this topic.

Conditions and documents

Conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in section 5 of the call document.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in section 6 of the call document.

3. Other Eligible Conditions

described in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

described in section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

described in section 9 of the call document.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

described in section 4 of the call document.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

described in section 10 of the call document.

Support information

For help related to this call, please contact please add a contact e-mail or url Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals . IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.

Raw budget overview
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