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Ukraine and EU Launch €100M Defence Tech Alliance
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BraveTech EU to scale battlefield-proven innovation through joint R&D, testing, and deployment
At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Ukraine and the European Union unveiled BraveTech EU — a landmark €100 million initiative to jointly develop and scale defence technologies that have proven their value under fire.
This is the first structured defence-tech collaboration between Ukraine and the EU. Each party will invest €50 million to accelerate R&D, testing, and deployment of dual-use and battlefield technologies, bridging the Ukrainian innovation ecosystem with Europe’s industrial and institutional capacity.
BraveTech EU proves that we are no longer simply reacting to threats — we are building a world that can withstand them
From battlefield to Europe-wide scale
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has developed a rapidly growing defence-tech ecosystem — designed not just to supply the army, but to invent, test, and deploy tactical technologies with unprecedented speed.
Key figures:
- From 7 drone companies in 2022 to over 500 in 2025
- 1,500+ developers and 3,600+ solutions on the Brave1 platform
- Over 300 technologies already codified to NATO standards
- 35× growth in national defence production
BraveTech EU will give these solutions a new dimension — scaling them across Europe, while opening new co-development pathways with EU-based teams and institutions.
Phased approach, dual-track model
The initiative will unfold in two stages:
1. Seed Phase (launching fall 2025): Aimed at generating high-potential partnerships and testing cycles, this phase will include:
- Hackathons and rapid prototyping programs
- R&D funding for Ukrainian and European startups
- Battlefield-oriented testing in Ukraine — to serve both Ukrainian and EU defence industry needs
2. Scale-Up Phase: This phase will bring additional funding to selected technologies developed during the seed phase, supporting their integration into production pipelines and cross-border deployment.
Who’s behind BraveTech EU?
Ukraine’s program will be coordinated by Brave1, the national defence-tech cluster launched in 2023. With over 3,600 solutions onboard, Brave1 offers a direct interface between developers, the military, and the state.
On the EU side, the program will be managed by the European Defence Innovation Office (EUDIO), which is based in Kyiv.Funding will come from the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS).
We are not simply exchanging ideas — we are building a shared infrastructure of resilience. The EU brings industrial scale. Ukraine brings an innovation dynamic. BraveTech EU connects both
Why it matters
BraveTech EU signals a shift: from Europe supporting Ukrainian innovation to Europe integrating it.
The alliance creates a model for:
- Co-development over procurement
- Shared risk and shared R&D
- Tactical integration of tech into joint security architectures
It’s a governance-level decision to build common ground — not just politically, but technologically.
