On 15 September 2026, the PROTEAS EDF project organised the “EDF Forum 2026: Exchange of Experiences, Lessons Learned and Recommendations”, an online closed event bringing together the Coordination teams of seven EDF projects to exchange experiences, best practices and lessons learned from the implementation of EDF-funded Projects.

The first session, “Meet the EDF Projects”, gave participating projects the opportunity to present their objectives, technological focus, expected impact and key achievements. The session provided an overview of the diverse technological areas being addressed through the European Defence Fund and helped identify common areas of interest.

The second session featured a panel discussion entitled “Experiences, Best Practices and Lessons Learned from EDF Projects – EDF Security Framework and Dissemination in Practice”. The discussion focused on two horizontal topics that affect the implementation of EDF projects:

• EDF Security Framework: Experiences related to classification, security procedures, handling of sensitive information, reviews, restrictions and the practical implementation of security requirements.
• Dissemination and Communication: Approaches to balancing effective project communication and dissemination with the security, confidentiality and approval requirements applicable to EDF-funded activities.

The exchange provided valuable insights into common challenges encountered by EDF projects, as well as practices and approaches developed by the participating consortia throughout project implementation. As a follow-up to the Forum, PROTEAS consolidated the key observations, experiences and suggestions emerging from the discussions, with the aim of sharing them with the respective European Commission Project Officers.

The PROTEAS Consortium would like to warmly thank all participating projects and their representatives for their valuable contributions and active participation in the Forum: ACTING, ARMETISS, EUCINF, SWARM-C3, TRITON and 5G-COMPAD 2.0.