The EU Council formally adopted the AGILE regulation on October 12, creating a €115 million instrument for rapid, flexible and targeted support to SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups developing emerging and disruptive defence products. It focuses on development, testing and the adaptation of civilian technology for defence use, addressing the gap between a working prototype and operational deployment. The Commission's earlier design expected roughly 20 to 30 projects, up to 100% coverage of eligible costs, and operation from 2027. AI, unmanned systems, quantum and cybersecurity teams may benefit, but the budget is reallocated from existing programmes and companies still face military demand validation, export controls, procurement cycles and ethical boundaries.