Ukraine and the EU announced a fund of 100 million euros on Friday to accelerate defence innovation, based on battlefield-tested innovations from Ukraine.
The Bravetech EU initiative, presented at the 4th Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome, was announced by Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov and EU defence chief Andrius Kubilius.
The Bravetech EU is the first major technological alliance between Ukraine and Europe, with each side set to invest €50 million in the programme.
The initiative will focus on small and medium-sized businesses and start-ups in both Ukraine and Europe.
The alliance will see both parties exchange regulatory experience, develop innovations, and source new defence technologies.
“My European colleagues will receive the results of the battlefield,” Fedorov said at a press conference in Rome.
Other European countries may join in to fund the initiative, he added.
“The EU and its member states have industrial capabilities that will help Ukraine develop new defence systems and increase Europe’s resilience,” Kubilius said in a statement.
The programme is expected to unfold in two phases starting in the fall with the Hackathon of Ukrainian and European defence companies, Fedorov said in a post on his telegram page.
In 2026, the plan is to expand the program with greater grants and investments in the most promising projects.
The BraveTech EU initiative will integrate Ukrainian defense industry into the European mechanisms, linking Ukrainian Brave1 defense technology platform with EU platforms such as the European Defense Fund (EDF) and the EU Defense Innovation Scheme (EUDIS).
Zelensky has long called on Ukrainian western allies to provide more military support as they have continued to fight Russian troops since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian Patriots
The Bravetech EU program was announced on the same day that US President Donald Trump said Washington would send weapons, including the Patriot air defense system, to Ukraine via NATO.
“We’re sending patriots to NATO, and NATO will distribute them,” Trump told TV channel CBS News, adding that the alliance will pay for the system.
The Patriot missile system is able to detect and intercept a wide range of gaze targets, especially in high-end ballistic missiles, and is considered one of the best in the world, when Moscow increased missile attacks every night, entering its fourth year of all wars with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelensky said he spoke at the Ukrainian Recovery Conference in Rome on Thursday.
After repeated onslaught of Russian drones and missiles in Kiev, authorities announced Friday that they would establish a comprehensive drone interception system under a project called Clear Sky.
According to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv junta, the project includes an investment of 260 million (approximately €5.3 million) in interceptor drones, operator training and new mobile-enabled units.
Zelenskyy appealed to foreign partners to help Ukraine accelerate production of newly developed interceptor drones.
“We found a solution. As a country, scientists and engineers found a solution. That’s the key,” he said. “We need funding, and we’ll intercept it.”
