EU Dual-Use Funding for Polish Companies: Every Programme Available

Poland is increasing its defence spending to 4% of GDP, the highest ratio in NATO. This creates massive demand for technology, and the EU is funding Polish companies to develop and supply it. Combined with EU grants, Polish deep-tech companies have access to more dual-use funding than ever before.

EU programmes

Programme	Funding	Polish NCP / Contact
European Defence Fund	Up to €5M (100%)	MON / NCBiR
Horizon Europe	€500K to €4M (70-100%)	NCBiR NCP network
EIC Accelerator	€2.5M grant	NCBiR
Digital Europe	50-75%	NASK / MC

Polish national programmes

NCBiR (Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju): Poland's main R&D funding agency. Runs national programmes for innovative technology including dual-use calls. Supports Polish companies in EU proposal preparation and consortium building.

MON Innovation: the Ministry of National Defence's innovation arm. Runs technology scouting, connects startups with military end-users, and supports Polish participation in EDF projects. Poland's growing defence budget means MON is actively looking for new technology suppliers.

PFR (Polski Fundusz Rozwoju): Poland's development fund. Provides equity and loans for scaling technology companies. Can co-finance alongside EU grants.

Regional funds: Cohesion policy funds in Polish voivodeships can now support dual-use infrastructure and technology development under the Mini-Omnibus rules.

Poland's dual-use opportunity

Poland's unique position: the largest defence spending increase in Europe creates domestic demand, while EU programmes fund the R&D. A Polish company can use EDF grants to develop dual-use technology, then sell it to the Polish military through national procurement. The domestic market alone justifies the investment.

• Warsaw: cybersecurity, AI, software
• Krakow: AI, software engineering, autonomous systems
• Wroclaw: electronics, semiconductors
• Gdansk: maritime, shipbuilding, underwater technology

How to start

Contact NCBiR for EU funding guidance. For EDF, reach out to MON's innovation office. Polish companies are highly sought-after consortium partners because Poland's growing defence budget makes the market case strong. Check eligibility across all programmes.