dependencies further48. This will take into account work undertaken in the context of the EDA’s Annual Monitoring Document49 and European EDTs Strategic Assessment50. Furthermore, the ECCC could launch a dedicated policy support project which could feed into the process of technology roadmapping and bring together and engage with relevant stakeholders from the civilian and military spheres. As part of the activities outlined under the Synergies Action Plan, the Roadmap and the Gaps Analysis, several actions are already ongoing to strengthen the synergies to exploit better the full potential of dual-use technologies, including in the cyber domain. Additionally, Member States are encouraged to make full use of the existing initiatives supporting research and technological development, namely for defence the EDA defence Capability Technology Groups51 and the related OSRA Technology Building Blocks52, EDA Ad Hoc framework53, the EDF and PESCO. For civilian and dual-use technologies the ECCC and Network can manage projects with both a defence and civilian dimension as established by its legal base54.As announced in the Synergies Action Plan and the Roadmap, the Commission will also seek to strengthen synergies between the activities of the ECCC and the EDF in cybersecurity and cyber defence, in line with the EDF governance rules. 3.2. Agile, competitive and innovative European defence industry The EU needs a strong, agile, competitive and innovative European defence industry, which is capable of delivering a full spectrum of state-of-the-art defence capabilities, including cyber defence capabilities. However, where cyber defence is concerned, the EU defence industry currently relies substantially on civilian solutions and on external markets to provide state-ofthe-art solutions. Although technological advances in the civilian domain are rapid and the market for civilian information and cybersecurity products is growing quickly, there are specific military requirements that are not fulfilled by off-the-shelf civilian products. Important parts of hardware and software currently used for cyber defence are not made in the EU, which can create industrial and technological dependencies. The EU also lacks a strong presence in the global cybersecurity and cyber defence industry. Its highly fragmented EDTIB greatly 48 Observatory of critical technologies, announced in the Action plan on synergies between civil, defence and space industries. 49 First phase of the EDA 2021 EDT Action Plan. 50 Second Phase of the EDA 2021 Action Plan. 51 CapTechs provide Member States’ experts with a networking fora and a flexible framework for collaborative projects. More information on the CapTechs related to cyber (Cyber, Information, Components) is available at: https://eda.europa.eu/what-we-do/research-technology/capability-technology-areas-(captechs). 52 OSRA maps relevant defence R&T areas and details concrete collaborative opportunities. There are 17 Technology Building Blocks along with their technology roadmaps associated to cyber technologies addressing cyber defence situational awareness, the protection of military communication systems, processing information from heterogeneous sources, modelling and simulation, quantum computing and cryptography, as well as exploring synergies between cyber operations and electronic warfare. Artificial intelligence and big data have a key role in information processing. 53 The EDA Ad Hoc Framework is defined by Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835. Currently, 6 projects with cyber technology elements are under execution in this framework, with a budget of approx. 20 million EUR (ANQUOR, CERERE, EDA SOC 2, MASFAD II, PASEI II, ASSAI). 54 Regulation (EU) 2021/887 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and the Network of National Coordination Centres. 15