In partnership with Ukraine, the European Commission has announced the launch of the BraveTech EU initiative to develop defense innovations through the use of battlefield-driven technologies and closer cooperation between Ukraine and the EU.
The relevant statement was made by European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius during the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) in Rome on July 11, 2025, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The aim of the joint initiative is to create possibilities for European defense industry to learn from Ukrainian battle-tested experience how to do defense innovations, and also this initiative is targeting to help Ukrainian very dynamic and innovative defense industry to scale the innovations using the European Union’s defense industrial potential,” Kubilius said, praising this project as unique.
The initiative connects Ukraine’s Brave1 defense tech platform with EU programmes, such as the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) to create a single system for the joint development, testing and deployment of advanced defense solutions.
As explained by Kubilius, the title of the initiative, Brave Tech EU, comes from Ukraine’s defense tech platform Brave1, “a very successful defense technology cluster […], which became the basis for a very successful creation of Ukrainian Army of Drones.”
According to Kubilius, the EU needs to learn not only how to produce drones and other modern warfare equipment, but also how to create a totally different ecosystem for a very innovative defense tech development.
Actions within the joint initiative will include Ukraine-focused defense 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.
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 defense innovation ecosystem.
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).
As stated in the European Commission’s press release, 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 defense ecosystems, while leveraging the innovation potential of closer EU-Ukraine collaboration, focusing on defense industries and new tech ventures.
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 BraveTech EU initiative builds on the success of the EDF-powered EUDIS to drive innovations in the European defense industry. Initial activities under BraveTech EU will receive support through EDF/EUDIS, with proposed adaptations to EDF work programmes potentially mobilizing up to EUR 50 million. This funding will match the EUR 50 million earmarked by the Ukrainian government, creating a significant combined effect.
The European Union Defence Innovation Office (EUDIO) in Kyiv will support implementation, aligning its resources with the initiative’s activities.
Photo: thedigital.gov.ua