# Case Study

**Portuguese Navy pilots the first AI-certified agent for defence grant applications**

The first interaction between the **Portuguese Navy** and Granter took place during a side event at Web Summit 2024. At the time, the business model did not fully align with the Navy’s operational context, and conversations were naturally paused.

Six months later, **timing and priorities came together**. Granter’s strategic pivot and the launch of the AI Grant Consultant **answered several of the challenges previously identified**. The Portuguese Navy reconnected after learning about this shift through a podcast and the official presentation of the solution during the Techstars accelerator program.

From that point on, the partnership took shape. In addition to the pilot, Granter was **invited to participate as an observer in REPMUS**, Europe’s largest military innovation exercise, and **initiated a formal certification process under the “Navy Tested” programme**.

This collaboration represents a key milestone. The Portuguese Navy will now **test the first AI-powered grant agent designed and certified specifically for defence funding.**

## The Challenge

### Navigating defence grants with limited internal capacity

When the Portuguese Navy approached Granter, three core challenges stood out. Together, they limited the organisation’s ability to use grants as a strategic tool across defence, infrastructure, and innovation initiatives.

1. **Limited ability to map defence grants**  
   Relevant national and European **defence calls are spread across multiple programmes and platforms**. Mapping all eligible opportunities, including NATO instruments, the European Defence Fund, and other strategic initiatives, **required an operational capacity that was difficult to sustain internally.**  
   **As a result, opportunities were often missed due to limited visibility or lack of time to continuously monitor this fragmented ecosystem.**

2. **High workload for grant applications**  
   Grant applications demanded a significant internal effort. With **limited resources and low operational capacity**, the Navy had to handle complex, highly regulated applications from start to finish, creating a **heavy workload and making it hard to scale grant activities across units**.  
   **This made the preparation of applications time-consuming and often delayed the Navy’s ability to act on new funding opportunities.**

3. **Restrictions to rely on external consultants**  
   Unlike civilian organisations, the Navy **cannot easily outsource grant preparation**. Defence applications require highly specialised knowledge, strict security clearances, and compliance with technological and operational security standards.  
   **Given these constraints, external support is nearly impossible, forcing the Navy to rely entirely on internal teams, which makes the process slower and more resource-intensive.**

## Solution

### A defence-grade pilot with three specialised agents

To address these challenges, Granter first **developed a dedicated European defence grants database**, covering opportunities that were not previously available within the platform.

On top of that, a tailored pilot was designed to reflect the Navy’s organisational structure with **three specialised AI agents deployed**: one for the Naval Academy, the Portuguese Navy, and the Hydrographic Institute.

The pilot currently integrates two modules:

- **Match**  
  Provides full visibility over relevant defence-related grants at national and European levels. Continuously identifies and filters opportunities aligned with each unit’s mission, capabilities, and strategic priorities.

- **Apply**  
  Supports the preparation of defence grant applications by generating structured and compliant drafts tailored to each call. Accelerates writing while respecting strict defence and security requirements.

## Objectives

### Making defence grants an engine for innovation

- **Improve Grant Discovery**  
   **Centralise and expand grant visibility.** Create a continuously updated database of defence-related grants, increasing awareness and enabling adoption across additional units.

- **Save time on applications**  
   **Reduce the time spent on drafting and coordination by up to 90%.** Shorten the drafting process, making grant preparation faster, more precise, and scalable without increasing internal workload.

- **Adopt a defence-specialised AI agent**  
   **Leverage a certified AI platform with an agent trained in defence funding**, including NATO and European Defence Fund calls, fully compliant with security requirements.

## Status

### Early Results

The pilot has already delivered measurable results:

- +200 Relevant funding opportunities added to a defence grants database
- 2w → 2h with first drafts presenting significant time saving

The partnership is currently in the **certification phase for the “Navy Tested” programme**. Granter is being evaluated by three different Navy units, a key step to validate the solution across multiple operational contexts and obtain official certification.

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