BraveTech EU Launches with €100M Fund to Back Defense Startups from Ukraine and the EU
First-of-its-kind tech alliance channels battlefield-tested innovation into European security strategy
KYIV, Ukraine — 11 July 2025
Ukraine and the European Union have launched BraveTech EU, a €100 million initiative to support defense startups and scale battlefield-driven innovation across Europe. The announcement was made on July 11 during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome by Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov and European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius.
The initiative marks the first large-scale defense tech partnership between Ukraine and the EU, structured as an equal alliance with each side contributing €50 million. Ukrainian funding will be coordinated via the BRAVE1 defense tech cluster, while the EU’s portion will draw from the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS).
“BraveTech EU is the first large-scale tech alliance between Ukraine and the EU,” Fedorov said in an official LinkedIn statement. “Ukraine’s wartime innovation is Europe’s new defence paradigm — and it must scale. Together, we build technologies that not only counter Russia but also redefine resilience. When Ukrainian and European minds unite, they shape history. I am grateful to the EU for its trust and vision. BraveTech EU proves that we no longer react to threats. We build a world strong enough to withstand them.”
The program will be rolled out in two stages. The first, a “Seed” phase beginning in autumn 2025, includes Ukraine-focused defense hackathons, investor matchmaking, testing opportunities for European companies in Ukraine, and R&D funding for startups on both sides. The second, “Scale Up” phase launching in 2026, will expand access to grants, equity support, and the EUDIS Business Accelerator, integrating Ukrainian startups alongside their European peers. These stages were outlined in Fedorov’s Telegram post and the joint EU–Ukraine press release.
Kubilius, speaking in the same joint announcement, said: “BraveTech EU is a new strategic step for development of EU’s and Ukraine’s defence industry cooperation. The EU, its Member States have an industrial capacity that can help Ukraine to develop new defence systems and to increase European resilience. On the other hand, our defence industry will be able to learn a lot from a very innovative and dynamic Ukraine’s defence tech community, its industry and its ecosystem. We will deepen our integration – this is very much needed for both sides – for Ukraine and for the EU.”
The initiative connects BRAVE1 — a Ukrainian innovation platform that has issued over 550 defense grants totaling ₴2.2 billion — with the EU’s formal innovation funding mechanisms. According to Fedorov’s Telegram channel, “Ukraine and the EU are mobilizing €100 million to search for technological game-changers for the war” (translated from Ukrainian), describing BraveTech EU as a partnership on equal terms.
Fedorov emphasized Ukraine’s unique role as a live testing ground for emerging defense technologies. In a comment published by Novyny.LIVE, he noted: “The best thing we can do for our European partners is help develop technologies in Europe, test them on our battlefield, and protect Ukrainians with them… If we stop for even one day, we will lose the technological war.”
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has increased its defense production by 35 times, according to the EU–Ukraine joint press release. That growth has been enabled by close collaboration between government bodies, startups, and battlefield units — creating an agile ecosystem capable of transforming innovation into frontline capability within weeks.
The BraveTech EU framework will also contribute to the EU’s broader Readiness 2030 goals and the upcoming Roadmap for the Acceleration of Defence Transformation, expected by the end of 2025. The European Union Defence Innovation Office (EUDIO), based in Kyiv, will coordinate the EU’s role in the program, aligning its resources with Ukrainian partners.
BraveTech EU positions Ukrainian innovation as a structural component of European security. By formalizing Ukraine’s battlefield-tested ingenuity into EU frameworks, the initiative seeks to shift defense innovation from slow procurement cycles to rapid, integrated deployment — with startups and SMEs at the core.
As Kubilius noted, “We will deepen our integration — this is very much needed for both sides.”
