Ukraine and the EU are mobilizing €100 million for BraveTech EU, the first technology alliance between the two partners. The launch was announced by Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, and European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, on July 11 at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025.

• On Ukraine’s side, Brave1 will coordinate the project. The EU’s efforts will be overseen by the European Defense Innovation Office (EUDIO), which is based in Kyiv.
• The partnership is designed as an equal collaboration, with each side contributing half of the total funding. EU financing will come through the European Defense Fund (EDF) and the EU Defense Innovation Scheme (EUDIS).
• The mission of BraveTech EU is to discover, test, and scale technologies that could shift the balance on the battlefield.

How BraveTech EU Will Work

• As part of the initiative, Ukrainian and European companies will take part in hackathons to test cutting-edge defense solutions.
• BraveTech EU will also offer grant support for defense startups. Other key goals include integrating Ukrainian defense tech into the European market and co-developing game-changing battlefield technologies.
• The program will roll out in two phases:
  • Seed (fall 2025): Hackathons focused on frontline needs, building partnerships between startups, investors, and defense companies.
  • Scale Up (2026): Mobilizing additional funding to provide grants that help scale the best solutions born during the hackathons.

«Modern warfare is innovative, fast-paced, and hybrid. Ukraine has a unique experience and is ready to share it with partners so that the European defense sector can transform to meet today’s challenges. I thank the EU for its trust and Andrius Kubilius for his leadership and courage in driving ambitious projects forward,» Fedorov said.

In related news, Brave1 recently underwent a leadership change. Andrii Hrytseniuk now heads the cluster, taking over from Natalia Kushnerska, who led Brave1 from its launch in 2023 and the entire Innovation Development Fund since 2025. Kushnerska is moving to a new role within the Ministry of Digital Transformation’s ecosystem, though her exact position has not yet been disclosed.