Irish companies and universities have received only €11.6 million in grants from the European Defence Fund in recent years to fund research into bomb disposal, cybersecurity and space-based warfare, despite contributing many times that amount.
The figures are contained in a recent report that shows that while Ireland has injected €175 million into the European Defence Fund (EDF), it is one of the lowest recipients of EDF investment in the EU. Ireland is also one of the least active participants in the programme.
The lack of a traditional defence industry in Ireland has meant the country has been unable to fully capitalise on available EDF funding.
The EDF was established in 2017 as a component of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. Its aim is to develop the defence industries of EU member states, boost interoperability between militaries and reduce reliance on external defence suppliers in the US and elsewhere.
It has a budget of €8 billion between 2021 and 2027, most of which is dedicated to developing collaborative research projects involving companies, universities and public agencies in various EU countries.
During the 2021 and 2022 funding rounds, Ireland was involved in seven projects, with the University of Galway and Maynooth University being the main recipients of research funds.
The University of Galway received €4.36 million in EDF funding in 2021 to work on Counteract, a project to develop medical countermeasures against the threat of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attack.
Maynooth received €4.38 million in the same year to conduct research for Acting, a project to develop cybersecurity training in the EU.
Also in 2021, Applied Intelligence Analytics, an Irish company lead by former Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen, received €577,222 to work on Koios, a project to develop artificial intelligence and machine learning for defence applications.
The following year, the Dublin-based company began work on two more EDF projects, including E-Nacsos, which “aims to ensure superiority at sea of EU naval surface vessels”.
It also received €250,715 from the EDF to work on Convoy, a project aimed at developing cloud intelligence to help detect explosives.
Three other Irish private companies received EDF funding in 2022. The Galway-based Mbryonics received just under €700,000 to work on the Spider project. This is a feasibility study examining the possibility of developing a constellation of small EU controlled military satellites, similar to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which could be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Research Driven Solutions, a Dublin-based engineering research company, received just over €550,000 to work on Utile, which recycles military equipment.
Finally, VRAI, a virtual reality company set up by former Army officer Pat O’Connor, received almost €645,000 for work on a project known as Federates, which aims to develop VR technology for military training.
While various EDF projects focus on offensive military capabilities such as developing new warheads and missiles, most of the projects involving Irish participants are defensive in nature.
Ireland does not have a traditional arms industry but in recent years the so-called “dual-use” industry, which develops technology with both military and civilian applications, has grown substantially.
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