Specific Support for Defence Research Projects and Innovation (ASTRID) - 2022

The French National Research Agency (ANR), in partnership with the French Defense innovation Agency (AID) and Armaments Procurement Agency (DGA), has launched the 2022 ASTRID programme, providing "specific support for defence research projects and innovation". The programme is entirely funded by the AID and implemented by ANR.

ASTRID positions itself as a programme dedicated to supporting research projects of a highly exploratory and innovative nature.  Maximum funding is €300 k and project duration is between 18 and 36 months. Applications for such research are dual-use (both civilian and military).

This call for proposals aims to:

• Open up new research areas and maintain innovation efforts on topics of defensive interest in accordance with the guidelines of DGA orientation document DROID 2021 (https://www.defense.gouv.fr/aid/l-agence/documentation/documentation).
• Explore scientific and technical blockages by promoting skills development and identifying technological breakthroughs, a source of innovation beneficial to defence and civilian research and industry.

Follow-up projects may be submitted within the ASTRID Maturation programme or AID funding mechanisms such as RAPID.

The transverse nature of the ASTRID programme is borne out by the following thematic areas : Information engineering, Cyberdefense, Fluids, structures, Acoustic and radioelectric waves, Nanotechnology – sensors and components, Photonics, Materials, Systems of Systems, Biology – health and CBRN, Men and systems, social science for management of innovation, Robotics, Artificial intelligence.

Intellectual Property (IP):

Global technological and industrial competition needs to ensure the duality of applications from research results. In order to subject to prior authorisation from DGA the sale of intellectual properties resulting from the research studies, grant agreements for projects awarded funding within this call for proposals include intellectual properties clauses. More broadly, DGA aims to promote the valorisation of scientific innovations and to provide the awarded project leaders a network of technical experts with industrial knowledge.