Ukraine and NATO announced the launch of the joint UNITE – Brave NATO program with a budget of €10 million. Half of the amount will be financed by NATO through the Comprehensive Assistance Package to Ukraine (CAP), and the other half by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. The Ministry of Digital Transformation reported this on its official website.
Competition terms
On the Ukrainian side, the defense-technology cluster Brave1 is responsible for implementing the program. The competition is scheduled for early 2026.
Grants will be awarded in the following areas: counter-unmanned aerial systems (c-UAS), signals intelligence systems (SIGINT), navigation in electronic warfare (EW) conditions, and ground robotic systems.
Timeline and prospects
Applications will open in February 2026. Winners are expected to be announced in the spring during the second Ukraine – NATO Defense Innovators Forum. If the pilot phase is successfully implemented, the budget is planned to be increased to €50 million.
Context
Earlier, Ukrainian developer of an operating system for drones Osiris AI attracted a foreign investor. It was recently revealed which companies in the defense technology sector attracted the largest volumes of investment in recent years.
