Ukrainian Defense Technology Cluster Brave1 and NATO Headquarters Innovation Directorate together with NCIA NATO Communications and Information Agency — NATO Communications and Information Agency. are launching the first competition within the UNITE — Brave NATO program. It focuses on solutions to counter drones, as well as on navigation tools in electronic warfare. The total budget for participants is 10 million euros.
This was reported by the Brave1 press service.
Key topics of the competition:
- active protection systems against FPV drones;
- advanced and accessible systems to counter “shaheeds”;
- electromagnetic support for radio reconnaissance (RER);
- electromagnetic attack technologies against FPV drones;
- platforms for high-altitude flights;
- autonomous guidance systems.
As explained in the defense cluster, unlike traditional grant competitions, the UNITE — Brave NATO program is based on the mechanics of “matchmaking”, that is, a system of automatic selection of participants, which unites them for joint activities based on certain criteria: skill level, rating, geographical location, etc.
“The application requires the creation of joint innovations, where companies from Ukraine, on the one hand, and NATO member countries, on the other, combine their technologies to create a joint product. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the path of innovation from the TRL 7+ level (working prototype) to full-fledged combat use,” Brave1 says.
Thus, at the first stage, defense companies from Ukraine and NATO countries must register on the appropriate portal and go through the compliance procedure. After verification, participants receive access to online “matchmaking” tools.
“Verified companies will be able to view profiles, filter the search by category, and offer cooperation to colleagues (Ukrainian companies can only interact with international ones and vice versa). If both parties show mutual interest, a “match” occurs. Their contact details become available to each other and they can interact directly,” the defense cluster press service adds.
After all procedures, the companies that have formed partnerships must begin cooperation and submit a joint application. The finalists, selected by a joint Ukraine-NATO expert commission, will undergo testing on Ukrainian territory, which will be the final stage of the project.
The total budget for the first round is €10 million. The maximum grant per joint application is €1 million (up to €500,000 per party). Brave1 will fund Ukrainian participants, while NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) will cover the costs of Allied companies (subject to limitations on non-lethal assistance).
Brave1 noted that companies that already have established partnerships with foreign firms and intend to submit a joint application for a grant will be able to do so after the official opening of applications on the portal http://portal.usf.com.ua.
“If a company does not wish to publish its data within the “matchmaking” tool, but wants to learn more about the topics of the competition, it can write to us by email: [email protected],” they add there.
The announcement of the winners of the first competition is expected in the summer of 2026.