NATO and the Ukrainian innovation platform Brave1 now present the first round of UNITE-Brave NATO, a joint innovation programme for companies from Ukraine and NATO countries. The programme has a total budget of 10 million euros and focuses on solutions to counter drones as well as for navigation under electronic disturbance.
The initiative is described as a competition and is driven by NATO together with Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation and Ministry of Defence, as well as the innovation platform Brave1.
Companies from both NATO countries and Ukraine can apply and will be matched with each other to jointly submit a common application. Unlike some other innovation platforms, it is required that each collaboration consists of at least one entity from a NATO country and one from Ukraine. The applications will then be evaluated by a joint expert committee.
According to a press release from NATO, the central themes in the call for proposals are:
- Systems for active protection against FPV drones
- Advanced and cost-effective systems to combat Shahed drones
- Electromagnetic support for signal intelligence (SIGINT)
- Technology for electromagnetic countermeasures against FPV drones
- Platforms for high-altitude flight
- Autonomous control and navigation systems
The competition will conclude with practical tests in Ukraine, and the contracts will be financed by NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for international companies as well as by Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation for Ukrainian participants. The programme will also be presented at the NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum on 1-2 June 2026 in Vilnius (Lithuania).
NDS has previously reported on Brave-Norway, a programme where Ukraine and Norway jointly develop and test defence technology.
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