The Ukrainian government has announced the launch of Brave International, an international defense cluster that will enable the country to collaborate with foreign partners to fund the development of innovative technologies for the defense sector. The total budget for the first grant programs already exceeds 100 million euros. This was reported by Dengi.ua, citing the official website of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
Over 100 million euros for the development of defense technologies
As part of Brave International, Ukraine, together with its allies, will establish joint funds to finance promising defense-tech projects from around the world. Grant programs have already been announced with Norway (Brave Norway), France (Brave France), Germany (Brave Germany), Lithuania (Brave Lithuania), as well as a joint initiative with NATO-UNITE Brave NATO.
How the new program will work
Grant funding will be provided on a 50/50 co-financing basis: half of the funds will be contributed by Ukraine, and the other half by the partner country.
Project selection will be conducted by joint expert commissions comprising Ukrainian and foreign specialists. This approach is intended to ensure transparency and objectivity in the evaluation of applications.
Not only Ukrainian developers but also foreign startups working in the field of defense technologies will be able to submit projects.
Another mandatory requirement will be testing all developments in Ukraine through the "Test in Ukraine" platform. This will allow for verifying the effectiveness of the technologies under real combat conditions and ensuring their compliance with the needs of the Armed Forces.
What Opportunities Will the Initiative Open Up?
The Ministry of Digital Transformation notes that the launch of Brave International will help attract the world’s best defense innovations to Ukraine, strengthen support for domestic defense-tech companies, and accelerate the entry of Ukrainian technologies into the international market.
The first international grant competitions within the Brave1 cluster are scheduled to launch in the near future.
