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The leading European universities cooperating with Israeli military industry companies
Official European research and innovation project databases show that a number of universities in European countries took part in consortia that included Israeli military industry companies such as Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael — and, in at least one case, the Israeli army ministry itself.
CORDIS is the official portal of the European Commission, run by the Publications Office of the European Union. It serves as the public database and primary source for all results of research and innovation projects funded by the EU.
The data reveals that some European universities entered into documented research, engineering and security partnerships with Israeli defence companies, or with official bodies tied to the Israeli military structure.
The sensitivity of these links lies in the fact that the European framework governing Horizon Europe funding states explicitly that funded activities must have an exclusive focus on civil applications — while at the same time clarifying that the participation of defence companies or military organisations is not automatically excluded, so long as the research activities themselves are framed and managed within that civilian ceiling. (screenshot).
The European Commission later also acknowledged that the outputs of some projects may evolve, after the project's lifetime ends, into technologies with dual-use potential. (screenshot).
Which projects did European universities take part in alongside Israeli defence companies?
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First: The railway protection project (PROTECTRAIL)
It is a major research initiative funded by the European Union, aimed at building an integrated, comprehensive security system to protect Europe's railway infrastructure.
This project (2010–2014) is one of the largest security projects in the history of the European Union, with a budget of roughly 20 million euros, and it brought together a large consortium of 29 partners from a range of sectors.
Elbit Systems took part — through its Israeli branch and its Italian branch — as a principal technology supplier to the project, contributing its expertise in surveillance systems, command and control (C4I), and advanced protection technologies.
On the academic and research side, the project brought in several prestigious research centres, universities and educational institutions to ensure scientific and technical viability, most notably:
| Participating institution | Country |
|---|---|
| University of Namur |  Belgium |
| Kingston University |  United Kingdom |
Second: The OUTCOME project
A European project that aimed to train early-stage researchers and develop solutions for analysing and designing aerospace and defence structures exposed to extreme thermal and mechanical loading conditions.
According to the European Commission's project page, the project coordinator is Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, joined — alongside European institutions and companies — by France's University of Lorraine and Israel's Technion.
What stands out in the project, which ran between 2016 and 2019 and which on its face was research cooperation in solid mechanics while its actual field of application was aerospace and defence structures, is the role of Israel's Rafael as an executing participant — reflecting a European model that permits practical intersections between university research and industrial structures tied to the defence sector, even when European funding does not go directly to the military company itself.
Third: A space technology project (QI2S)
A European–Israeli project in space technology whose aim was to narrow the gap between capturing a satellite image and turning it into usable information, by moving part of the "analytical intelligence" onto the satellite itself.
According to the official record in CORDIS, Israel's Elbit Systems coordinated the project, which ran between 2013 and 2015, while Germany's Technische Universität Braunschweig stood out as the only university body within a consortium of six partners from four countries — one dominated by an industrial-technical character rather than a purely academic one.
Fourth: Re-engineering the aircraft design cycle — CRESCENDO
A major European project that sought to re-engineer the aircraft design cycle through a collaborative digital environment built on simulation and data exchange between manufacturers, suppliers and universities.
According to the CORDIS database, the project brought together 59 partners from 13 countries and ran between 2009 and 2012, among them European academic institutions — reflecting the breadth of European university presence within a consortium led by the major aviation industry.
But the politically most sensitive angle lies in the presence of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) inside the project — not as a marginal name, but as an Israeli industrial partner formally listed in the consortium and allocated 258,500 euros of the European contribution.
Final report documents show that the company's role was not administrative or nominal, but directly technical.
The European universities that took part in the project are:
| University | Country |
|---|---|
| Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg |  Germany |
| Cranfield University | United Kingdom |
| National Institute of Applied Sciences, Toulouse |  France |
| Linköping University |  Sweden |
| Luleå University of Technology | Sweden |
| Politecnico di Torino |  Italy |
| Queen's University Belfast | United Kingdom |
| University of Salento | Italy |
| University of Southampton | United Kingdom |
| University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| University of Limerick |  Ireland |
Fifth: The INAFLOWT project
A project under the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme — specifically within the Clean Sky 2 initiative — aimed at developing advanced air-flow control technologies to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of commercial aircraft.
According to the CORDIS database, the project, which ran between 2017 and 2020, included Germany's University of Stuttgart alongside Tel Aviv University and the Israeli space company IAI, which took part to provide industrial and technical expertise in designing, building and testing the models.
Sixth: The SecureGas project
A project focused on protecting the European gas network from physical and cyber threats. According to the official CORDIS page, Riga Technical University is among the participants, alongside Israel's Elbit Systems, which for its part provided expertise and solutions related to the cybersecurity of industrial control systems — that is, in the sensitive zone where digital security meets the operation of gas infrastructure.
Seventh: The rail and metro protection project
A European project under Horizon 2020 focused on protecting rail and metro networks from cyber and physical threats, particularly where digital attacks intersect with the operational infrastructure of transport.
The project began in 2020 and ended in 2022, and according to CORDIS, the University of Reading and Newcastle University from Britain appear, along with Spain's Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH) and Finland's Laurea University of Applied Sciences.
And although the project aims to develop methods and systems to improve safety in intercity rail and urban metro transport, Israel's Elbit Systems emerged as a partner in it.
Eighth: The underwater security project
An EU-funded project in the field of protecting and securing maritime areas and ports, aimed at developing a prototype system to protect ships, ports and marine, river and coastal infrastructure from threats coming from underwater.
Taking part in the project, which began in October 2023 and ends in September 2026, are the two Greek universities of West Attica and the Hellenic Mediterranean, alongside the Israeli army ministry, which was a contributing body within the project.
Alongside the Israeli army ministry, the role of the Israeli defence company Rafael stood out as a technology provider, with Tel Aviv University researching underwater acoustics and training.
European distribution · 24 universities in 11 countries
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Circle size follows the number of universities in each country. Hover over a circle to see the university names.