UNITE: Brave NATO — перша спільна ініціатива України та НАТО для прискорення появи оборонних інновацій

We’re expanding partnerships to develop next-generation defense technologies. As part of this effort, together with NATO we’ve launched the first competition of the UNITE – Brave NATO program This is not a traditional grant competition. To take part, Ukrainian and NATO-based companies need to team up and work on a joint solution. To support this, we’ve created a dedicated matchmaking platform that connects Ukrainian and NATO defense companies. The ultimate goal is to fast-track innovation from TRL 7+ to combat-ready solutions. The first round of the competition focuses on solutions for countering enemy drones, strengthening air defense, and enabling resilient navigation in EW-contested environments. The topics include: 🔹 Active Protection Systems against FPV Drones 🔹 Advanced and Affordable Counter-Shahed Systems 🔹 Electromagnetic Support for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) 🔹 Electromagnetic Attack (EA) technology against FPV drones 🔹 Autonomous Guidance Systems 🔹 High-Altitude Platforms Detailed technical requirements will be shared after registration and a compliance check. The total budget for this round is €10 million. Each selected project can receive up to €1 million in funding (€500,000 per partner). Brave1 will fund the Ukrainian participants, while the NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) will cover the NATO entities within non-lethal limitations. How matchmaking works: A step-by-step guide is available in the video tutorial: https://youtu.be/ETCx5iSBVPA If you are a NATO company that already has a partner from Ukraine, you can skip the matchmaking stage and apply directly once the grant competition opens. If you prefer not to make your company profile publicly visible on the platform, you can contact the team directly by email [email protected]. In that case, the compliance check will be conducted separately, and you’ll receive additional information about the competition topics. Finalists will be selected by a joint Ukraine–NATO expert committee. All shortlisted solutions will undergo testing in Ukraine as a mandatory final stage. The winners of the first competition will be announced in summer 2026. More details about the program and the application process are available on the official landing page.