With a total budget of €5 million, the SME Defence call marks an important step in the collaboration between Defence and the Dutch high-tech sector. The call supports industrial research that not only strengthens the knowledge base and R&D capacity of SMEs, but also contributes to the technological autonomy and security of the Netherlands and Europe.
Gerard van der Zon, operational director Holland High Tech:
“The selected projects from the very first SME Defence call demonstrate the innovative power present within the Dutch high-tech SME sector. With solutions in areas including Space, Quantum, and Smart Materials, these consortia contribute to both technological innovation and the resilience and strategic autonomy of the Netherlands and Europe. It is precisely the collaboration between SMEs, knowledge institutions, Holland High Tech, and the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and Defence that makes it possible to develop and apply promising dual-use technologies more quickly. With this call, we are building a stronger innovative ecosystem for the future together.”
12 awarded projects in a row
ECLIPSE
SPIRAL Recycled Thermoplastic Composites in collaboration with Saxion en Witcom Engineering Plastics
Project ECLIPSE develops circular, multifunctional composite materials with low detectability for defense applications. Through smart material development and flexible production technologies, fast and local production is made possible, with reduced reliance on primary raw materials.
NLD area: Smart Materials
VLAM2
Ignarion in collaboration with NLR
This project develops a new manufacturing approach for solid rocket motors using additive manufacturing (AM). The goal is to enable faster, more flexible and lower-cost production of motor casings while maintaining structural integrity under high thermal and mechanical loads.
NLD area: Smart Materials
MADAR
IMPACD Boats in collaboration with NLR en Tectonic-3D
The MADAR project demonstrates that additively manufactured maritime structures can be not only fast to build, but demonstrably reliable and militarily deployable. Printed is not the same as validated, and MADAR closes that gap. The consortium develops a validated hybrid lightweight material and the corresponding data-driven AM production process, demonstrated on a validation platform exceeding 6 metres. Material, process and knowledge, developed in the Netherlands, deployable for Defence.
NLD area: Smart Materials
SHADOW
Dunedain Space in collaboration with Radboud University
Project SHADOW develops high-speed optical sensing technology to improve Space Situational Awareness (SSA). Rather than detecting objects by reflected light, SHADOW uses the occultation of stars caused by passing objects. This novel method enhances detection and tracking of satellites and space debris. Better (actionable) information can be gained in both Defense and Civil applications to prevent collisions and obtain better intel on location and specifics of (yet) unknown satellites.
NLD area: Space
SMART-GEAR
Sensing360 B.V. in collaboration with Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Planetary gearboxes are critical drivetrain components in defence systems ? from frigates and armoured vehicles to helicopters. Failure leads to loss of operational availability and poses a direct risk to personnel safety. Yet today, these components are maintained based on fixed operating hour intervals or only after a breakdown occurs, because no measurement technology exists that can directly assess the actual condition of gears and bearings inside these complex drivetrains.
NLD area: Smart Materials
PRISM
ARCEON in collaboration with Universiteit Twente
PRISM focuses on enabling scaled manufacturing of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) solid rocket motor (SRM) using the liquid silicon infiltration process (LSI). There is a demand to produce missiles faster, however there is currently no European defense supply chain to support this need. Arceon has proven the manufacturing of SRM nozzles on a single-part basis. PRISM's goal is to build on Arceon's existing experience scale the LSI process for reliability and repeatability for batch production.
NLD area: Smart Materials
RASSS
Spherical Systems in collaboration with NLR
The RASSS project develops and validates a radiation-aware semiconductor design workflow for defense and aerospace applications. Automation and radiation modeling are integrated into early design phases. Radiation test structures are fabricated on European foundry processes and tested, after which results are fed back to improve modeling and design architecture.
NLD area: Space
CryoKiQQer
Single Quantum in collaboration with TNO
Integrating secure, sovereign quantum capabilities into Europe?s space, security and defense strategies is one of the key points of the Quantum Europe Strategy; To further expand the reach of quantum networks, space nodes become unavoidable due to the smoother scaling of free-space channel losses as distance increases versus those in optical fibers; this transition will require component miniaturization, high-brightness photonic qubit generation, and high efficiency single-photon detectors.
NLD area: Quantum
ASynC
Qblox Holding incollaboration with TU Delft
The ASynC project enables the scaling to fault-tolerant quantum computers by addressing the bottleneck of quantum error correction (QEC). To solve this, Qblox and TU Delft are integrating control electronics directly with computationally powerful GPUs. Qblox is building the hardware and firmware connection, while TU Delft is developing the GPU-accelerated error decoder. Together, they will deliver a scalable, hybrid infrastructure for real-time QEC and a GPU-accelerated decoder.
NLD area: Quantum
TFLN-FOG
Rapid Photonics in collaboration with VU
The project is developing compact, robust and energy-efficient Fibre Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) based on TFLN PIC technology, suitable for navigation without GPS. Rapid Photonics and VU University are responsible for design, fabrication and integration. The prototype will be tested by industrial users. The technology strengthens Dutch and European technological autonomy and provides opportunities for SMEs.
NLD area: Space
SHIPDA
VTEC Lasers & Sensors in collaboration with TNO
This project develops integrated photonic multi-pixel photodetector arrays for optical wireless communication (OWC) receivers. The approach enables wide field-of-view, high-speed, and energy-efficient signal detection while reducing size, weight, and power. The technology supports scalable, robust communication links for space, defense, and advanced wireless networks, strengthening the Dutch photonics ecosystem and European technological sovereignty.
NLD area: Space
RAM
Materialz in collaboration with Universiteit Twente
Materialz BV, an Advanced Materials start-up, and the University of Twente are developing a revolutionary radar-absorbing coating based on Polycondensed Mineral Technology, a circular meta-material. This multifunctional, circular coating is heat-resistant up to 1200°C, corrosion-resistant, and masks IR signatures. The project increases the survivability of defense assets through advanced signature management and strengthens the strategic autonomy of the Dutch industry.
NLD area: Smart Materials
