EU, Ukraine Team Up for Battlefield Tech Initiative
Together with Ukraine, the European Commission is announcing the BraveTech EU initiative, aimed at accelerating defence innovation through closer cooperation. Building on battlefield-tested innovations from Ukraine, BraveTech EU will strengthen the EU’s and Ukraine’s defence capabilities and deepen integration with Ukraine’s defence industry.
This is more than a tech partnership—it is a strategic investment in European security. It underlines the EU’s commitment to learning from Ukraine while reinforcing its own defence industrial base. BraveTech EU represents a unified effort to elevate defence innovation, reinforcing both Ukraine’s and the EU’s security and technological prowess. The joint actions of BraveTech EU will support new defence technologies in the EU and Ukraine, in a spirit of equal partnership.
The announcement coincides with the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome. The initiative connects the Ministry of Digital Transformation BRAVE 1 defence tech platform with EU programmes like the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS). It aims to boost innovation by supporting joint actions, hackathons, rapid testing, and direct collaboration between European and Ukrainian companies, especially start-ups and SMEs.
BraveTech EU supports the goals of the White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 , and the new EU-Ukraine Task Force on Defence Industrial Cooperation. It helps align EU and Ukrainian defence ecosystems, while leveraging the innovation potential of closer EU-Ukraine collaboration, focusing on defence industries and new tech ventures.
Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine has shown remarkable resilience and demonstrated an outstanding ability to transform ground-breaking innovation into fighting capabilities. Indeed, Ukraine has increased its defence production by 35 times since 2022 and built a fully integrated ecosystem of defence companies and government bodies in an agile innovation system with fast development and battlefield deployment.
In parallel, the EU’s EUDIS, launched in 2021, has supported defence innovation through measures like hackathons and tech challenges, and has encouraged startups and SMEs involvement.
Next steps
BraveTech EU will be implemented in two phases. A first ‘Seed’ Phase, starting in the autumn 2025, will build upon existing EDF activities, enhancing collaboration with Ukraine’s defence innovation ecosystem.
Actions include Ukraine-focused defence hackathons, matchmaking between Ukrainian and European firms and investors, R&D funding for European and Ukrainian startups, and testing opportunities to support technology development in Ukraine for European defence companies.
A second ‘Scale Up’ phase will expand Seed Phase actions, using additional resources from the EDF and the Ukraine Support Instrument (USI) under the upcoming European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP) .
Activities involve integrating Ukrainian start-ups and scale-ups in the EUDIS Business Accelerator along with European companies, potential grants and equity support, and technology development.
Background
The BraveTech EU initiative builds on the success of the EDF-powered EUDIS to drive innovations in the European defence industry. Initial activities under BraveTech EU will receive support through EDF/EUDIS, with proposed adaptations to EDF work programmes potentially mobilising up to €50 million. This funding will match the €50 million earmarked by the Ukrainian government, creating a significant combined effect.
Further expansion of the initiative will occur through the Ukraine Support Instrument (USI) once EDIP is enacted.
The European Union Defence Innovation Office (EUDIO) in Kyiv will support implementation, aligning its resources with the initiative’s activities.
BraveTech EU aims to accelerate the adoption of defence innovation across the EU and Ukraine, potentially offering new opportunities under the SAFE instrument. It will also contribute to the upcoming Roadmap for the Acceleration of Defence Transformation, due to be published by the end of 2025, establishing a framework for enhanced EU-Ukraine defence cooperation, incorporating new technology platforms and insights from Ukraine.
Focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises, startups in both regions, the initiative will promote the exchange of best regulatory practices. It will support innovation development, scaling and fast-track procurement of new defence technologies.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1794