Ukraine’s defense technology cluster Brave1, together with NATO organizations, has announced the launch of the first wave of a new grant program called UNITE – Brave NATO, with a total budget of €10 million. The main goal of the initiative is to accelerate the development of advanced counter-UAV technologies, as well as solutions that enable navigation in active electronic warfare conditions, which is particularly relevant in modern combat environments.
The program is being implemented in partnership with key Alliance structures, including NATO Headquarters focused on innovation and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA). One of the program’s main features is a new financing approach based on a so-called matchmaking principle. This means that Ukrainian companies and enterprises from NATO countries are expected not to apply separately, but to join forces, build joint projects, and combine their technological solutions to develop innovative products.
To participate, companies must register on a dedicated online platform and complete a verification procedure. They will then gain access to partner-search tools. At the same time, an important rule applies: Ukrainian companies may cooperate only with foreign partners, while companies from NATO countries may cooperate only with Ukrainian ones. If the parties identify mutual interest, they form a partnership and submit a joint application to the program.
The financial support framework provides that a maximum grant size of up to €1 million per project, with each side eligible to receive up to €500,000. Funding is distributed as follows: Ukrainian companies receive financing from the Brave1 cluster, while participants from NATO countries are funded under NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package, which includes a limitation that funds may be used only for non-lethal types of support.
The participant selection process will be overseen by a joint commission comprising representatives of Ukraine and NATO. Finalist projects will be required to undergo testing directly in Ukraine, which will serve as the final stage in assessing their effectiveness. The program winners are expected to be announced in the summer of 2026.
Among the priority areas of the competition are systems for protection against FPV drones, counter-Shahed technologies, electromagnetic effect solutions, radio intelligence systems, autonomous guidance systems, as well as high-altitude flight platforms.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, emphasized that the program is intended to strengthen cooperation between defense companies in Ukraine and NATO countries, create a synergistic effect, and accelerate the deployment of innovative solutions directly into combat conditions. More broadly, since 2022 NATO has significantly expanded its support toolkit for Ukraine, including through the Comprehensive Assistance Package aimed at modernizing the security sector and increasing technological interoperability with the Alliance.
Brave1 itself is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the National Security and Defense Council, the Ministry of Strategic Industries, and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. Its mission is to establish effective interaction between defense technology developers and the military. More than 2,200 companies have already joined the cluster, working on drones, ground robotic systems, electronic warfare tools, missile systems, and other technologies for the front line.
In addition, in April 2025 Ukraine launched Brave1 Market, a specialized marketplace for innovative solutions for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where military units can independently select and procure the equipment they need using their own unit budgets.
Also, in January 2026 Brave1 and U.S. technology company Palantir launched the Brave1 Dataroom platform, a secure digital environment that makes it possible to use real battlefield data to develop and train artificial intelligence models for military applications.
