The EDF Playbook: Building Consortia, Winning Grants, Securing Innovation | Event Follow Up
On 29 May 2026, COcyber held "The EDF Playbook: Building Consortia, Winning Grants, Securing Innovation" , bringing together more than 40 participants from the cybersecurity, defence, research and innovation communities.
Organised under the COcyber project by 28DIGITAL and HypeX, the event focused on European Defence Fund opportunities, dual use technologies, consortium building and the practical steps organisations can take to engage with European defence innovation funding.
The programme opened with Boglárka Varjasi-Bojtor, Project Lead at 28DIGITAL, who introduced the COcyber project and its mission to strengthen cooperation between civilian and defence cybersecurity actors across Europe.
Gyula Pomázi, Director of Strategic Relations at the Defence Innovation Research Institute, presented the evolving EU and NATO funding landscape, highlighting the growing role of international consortia, direct EU funding instruments and future opportunities for organisations working with cybersecurity and disruptive technologies.
The programme also featured Gabriella Simor, Senior Consultant at HypeX, who shared practical insights on matchmaking as a business development tool, including lessons from a cybersecurity company use case. The panel discussion was moderated by Ármin Ladányi, Managing Director of HypeX EU Office.
Professor Csaba Krasznay, Associate Professor at BME CrySyS Lab, addressed cybersecurity and information security requirements in EDF projects, with a focus on confidentiality, access control, document handling, risk management and the practical use of security frameworks such as ISO 27001.
The session concluded with an online demonstration of the COcyber matchmaking platform by Davide Carboni from The Lisbon Council. The demo introduced key platform modules including partner search, project landscape, Eco Cyber Map and the AI based Policy Coach, showing how organisations can identify potential partners and explore opportunities across the European cybersecurity ecosystem.
A follow up meeting is currently being prepared for mid July 2026 by 28DIGITAL, HypeX and the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, together with VIKI, to continue the discussion on EDF applications and support organisations interested in dual use innovation funding.
The gathering offered a practical space for organisations to better understand the EDF landscape, connect with relevant expertise and take the next steps towards stronger civilian and defence cooperation in cybersecurity.
