Ukrainian defence tech has grown more than twentyfold in funding volume over two years. In 2025, the country’s startups raised up to $526 million in venture capital, produced their first defence unicorn (UForce) and their first Nasdaq-listed defence company (Swarmer). Alongside private money, an entire grant system took shape, so today it runs from the state-backed Brave1 cluster all the way to billion-euro EU programmes. Working out who gives money, how much, and for what has become a task in itself.
This article collects the whole funding ecosystem into one map. We split donors into three tiers: national, international defence, and the dual-use or civilian tier, where Ukrainian companies enter as technology businesses. For each tier we spell out who funds, how much, and whether Ukrainians can apply directly. All data is current as of July 2026 and verified against official sources.
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How the defence tech funding map works
Funding for defence technologies in and around Ukraine runs on three tiers, and each one covers a different stage of product development.
The first tier, national, covers early and mid stages: proving the idea, building the prototype, getting it to the front. That means Brave1 and state grant mechanisms, where a Ukrainian company applies directly. The second tier, international defence, covers EU and NATO funds plus bilateral programmes with partner countries. Here access varies: sometimes direct, sometimes only through partnership. The third tier, dual-use and civilian, covers large programmes such as Horizon Europe and the EIC, where a Ukrainian team enters as a technology business with a dual-use solution.
One rule matters most when you read this map: check two things for every programme. First, whether applications are open right now. Second, whether a Ukrainian company can apply directly or only as a consortium partner. Those two details change everything, so look at them first.
Tier 1. National funding
This is the base almost every Ukrainian team starts from. Money goes directly to a developer registered in Ukraine, and each solution is tested on a range or at the front.
Brave1: the cluster’s grant programme
The main state instrument. Brave1 brings together the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff and the National Security Council into a single entry point for developers. Its core grant programme gives from UAH 500,000 to UAH 8 million depending on technology readiness level (TRL) and the expected result. A single applicant can submit up to 20 projects and receive up to UAH 30 million per year in total.
Who can apply
Entrepreneurs, researchers, developers and legal entities registered in Ukraine whose work targets defence technologies. Each solution passes a defence assessment and must reach BRV1 status with the required readiness scores.
Deadline
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis (different tracks open in turn). The programme operator, the Ukrainian Startup Fund, publishes individual competitions.
Across the whole programme Brave1 has issued more than 500 grants, and Ukrainian defence tech companies have received roughly UAH 2.2 billion in total. Drone makers drew the most, followed by ground and naval robotic systems. In June 2026 the supervisory board updated the programme and added dozens of new priority areas.
EU4UA Defence Tech and BraveTech EU
Special Brave1 grants co-funded by the EU. Under EU4UA Defence Tech the maximum single grant reaches €150,000, twice the standard Brave1 grant. The money goes to technology validation, prototyping and testing. The first round specifically supported air defence: interceptors and drone detection tools. A separate track integrated with BraveTech EU gives up to UAH 8 million regardless of technology readiness level.
Deadline
Run in rounds. Several more grant rounds are planned in 2026, with topics shaped around current front-line needs.
Brave International
A framework for international defence grants launched by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution on 27 June 2026. The model is simple: Ukraine and a partner country set up a joint 50/50 fund and together finance the best developments. The combined budget of the first programmes exceeds €100 million. Both Ukrainian and foreign companies can apply, and every solution is tested in Ukraine through the Test in Ukraine platform.
What is already announced
Brave France (with the French defence innovation agency AID), Brave Norway, Brave Germany, Brave Lithuania. Brave1 will launch the first joint competitions in the near future.
Tier 2. International defence funding
Here the money is larger, so the access is harder. These are EU and NATO funds, where Ukraine’s status often differs from a member state’s. Read each programme’s terms closely, because this tier holds the most nuance about who can actually apply.
European Defence Fund (EDF)
The EU’s main defence fund. Its 2026 annual work programme carries a €1 billion budget and covers 31 call topics, from air and missile defence to land combat, naval warfare and digital transformation. The fund’s total budget for 2021–2027 exceeds €7.3 billion.
Access for Ukraine
For now Ukrainian companies can take part in EDF projects as subcontractors and cascade funding recipients (third parties). Full associated-country status, which would allow applications on equal footing with EU members, is still being negotiated under the Mini-Omnibus regulation. So today this is access through partnership rather than direct application.
EUDIS: the innovation scheme inside the EDF
The EU Defence Innovation Scheme exists for startups and SMEs inside the EDF. Its 2026 budget is €231 million, or 23% of the whole fund. EUDIS provides cascade funding, acceleration, investor matchmaking and defence hackathons. The scheme opened an office in Kyiv, and the 2026 work programme explicitly grants Ukrainian companies the right to apply for EUDIS cascade grants.
Access for Ukraine
Ukrainian companies are eligible for EUDIS cascade grants. So this is one of the most accessible entry points into the European defence budget for small teams.
NATO DIANA
NATO’s defence accelerator for dual-use technologies. It gives non-dilutive grants of up to €100,000 in Phase 1 and up to €300,000 in Phase 2, with no equity taken. Selected innovators gain access to 16 accelerator sites and more than 200 test centres across the Alliance. The 2026 cohort holds 150 companies.
Access for Ukraine
Applications are open to companies headquartered in NATO member countries. Ukraine is not a NATO member, so direct application stays closed for now. DIANA’s Estonian hub works with Ukrainian teams through partnership, and Ukrainian developers can reach the programme through a legal entity registered in an Alliance country.
Tier 3. Dual-use and civilian programmes
Here a Ukrainian team enters as a technology business with a dual-use solution. Many defence technologies, from AI and computer vision to communications and navigation, fit civilian programmes well. And in this tier Ukraine holds one of its strongest positions.
Horizon Europe
The EU’s largest research programme. Ukraine is an associated participant, so Ukrainian organisations apply on equal footing with member states. For defence tech the relevant dual-use areas include AI, robotics, space, communications and cybersecurity.
Access for Ukraine
Direct application. Ukraine is a full associated member of Horizon Europe.
EIC STEP Scale Up Defence
The European Innovation Council’s defence track within the STEP platform. It invests equity of €10 to €30 million per company, from a €100 million budget for 2026. It targets mature scale-up companies raising large rounds. The portal topic identifier is HORIZON-EIC-2026-DEFENCE-01.
Deadline and access
The call opened on 1 July 2026, with a deadline of 28 October 2026. Ukrainian companies can apply directly, without a mandatory EU partner, because Ukraine is named explicitly in the eligibility rules.
Ukraine Investment Framework and related tools
In April 2026 the EU and Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence launched new programmes worth €343 million in guarantees and blended finance grants to develop dual-use technologies. Together these tools should mobilise more than €700 million in investment into drones, ground and naval unmanned systems, aviation, navigation and communications. The funding runs under Pillar II of the Ukraine Facility through the Ukraine Investment Framework, which has a €9.5 billion budget.
Access for Ukraine
These tools are aimed directly at Ukrainian companies and the Ukrainian dual-use sector. They work through partner banks and guarantees rather than as a classic grant.
The map at a glance: who, how much, and for whom
Here is the full map in one table. The “Access for Ukraine” column matters most: it shows at once where you can apply on your own and where you need a partner.
| Programme | Tier | Amount | Access for Ukraine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brave1 | National | Up to UAH 8M (up to UAH 30M/year) | Direct application |
| EU4UA Defence Tech | National (with EU) | Up to €150K | Direct application |
| Brave International | National / bilateral | Over €100M (all programmes) | Direct application |
| EDF | International defence | €1B (2026) | Through a partner (subcontract, third party) |
| EUDIS (cascade grants) | International defence | €231M (whole scheme, 2026) | Direct application for cascade grants |
| NATO DIANA | International defence | Up to €100K (Phase 1), up to €300K (Phase 2) | Through a legal entity in a NATO country |
| Horizon Europe | Dual-use / civilian | Varies by call | Direct application (associated member) |
| EIC STEP Scale Up Defence | Dual-use / civilian | €10–30M (equity) | Direct application, deadline 28 Oct 2026 |
| Ukraine Investment Framework | Dual-use / civilian | €343M (new package), €9.5B (framework) | Direct application via partner banks |
| Official Brave1 portal | Entry point | Registration and BRV1 status | brave1.gov.ua |
How to use this map in practice
Your sequence depends on the stage of your development. An early prototype is best started with Brave1: the money is fast, TRL requirements are softer, and range testing gives the validation you need for the next steps. Registering on the Brave1 portal and obtaining BRV1 status is the base step that opens both national grants and part of the international programmes through partnership.
For a more mature product at TRL 5 and above, EUDIS, EU4UA Defence Tech and the EIC open up. If your solution has a civilian application, look at Horizon Europe, where application is direct and competition is sometimes lower than in purely defence calls. For large rounds worth tens of millions of euros, there is EIC STEP Scale Up Defence with its 28 October 2026 deadline.
Deadlines and terms on this map change every month. New Brave International rounds appear, EUDIS topics update, Horizon Europe calls open. Keeping all of that in your head by hand is hard, so this is exactly where a service that does the monitoring for you helps.
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