The Ukrainian Defense Technology Cluster Brave1 and the French Defense Innovation Agency signed an agreement to launch the BRAVE FRANCE grant program. Its budget will be 20 million euros, which Ukraine and France will finance equally.
Within the framework of the program, Ukrainian and French companies will jointly develop solutions for the needs of the front and the defense market. Among the priority areas are missile technologies, unmanned systems and air defense systems. The maximum size of one grant will be 1 million euros, and the first competitions for companies will start in September 2026.
“Currently, the parties are finalizing the final list of topics and technical specifications, as well as forming a joint Executive Selection Board and expert commissions. It is important that the testing of developments will take place through the Test in Ukraine platform, which will allow verifying technologies in real combat conditions,” the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine noted.
The department emphasized that BRAVE FRANCE opens Ukraine direct access to the latest technologies that can influence the course of hostilities. France, in turn, will be able to adapt its own defense innovations to the conditions of modern warfare.
The Brave1 cluster was launched in Ukraine on April 26, 2023 as a platform for cooperation between developers of military technologies, business, the state and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new program should expand international cooperation in the field of defense innovations.
