Electronic Ceramics Department is a partner in the European Defence Fund (EDF) project SCUALE: Sustainable Components for Underwater Acoustics using Lead-free materials in Europe. Coordinated by a French company, Thales, the project brings together fourteen industry players and research institutes from eight European countries. SCUALE project aims to study, develop and produce advanced lead-free materials and components with improved performance to replace existing lead-based piezoelectric ceramics for military underwater acoustics applications. The quest for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics to replace commercially wide-spread lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and related lead-based materials has been, for the last two decades, motivated by the Restriction on the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) directive within the European Union. The overarching goal of the SCUALE project is to establish at least one European supply chain of lead-free piezoelectric materials suitable for underwater acoustics applications. At the kick-off meeting, the consortium discussed new lead-free ceramics formulations, lab-scale production and disruptive manufacturing processes.