EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance: call for founding members

25 May 2026, 23:59 CEST – the deadline for applications to become founding members of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance. The European Commission, together with Ukraine, is launching a cross-European industrial platform for manufacturers and developers of drones and counter-drone systems.

Participation in the call is free; no financial grant is included. The value is strategic: a seat on the first Alliance Board, direct input into priorities and standards, and access to partner networks and testing facilities across the EU and Ukraine.

The call opened on 5 May 2026.

What the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance is

The EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance is a new industry-led platform launched by the European Commission together with Ukraine under the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. Its core purpose: to bring together manufacturers, developers, and end-users of drones and counter-drone systems from the EU, EEA EFTA States, and Ukraine to jointly build a comprehensive European drone and counter-drone capability.

The Alliance will work directly alongside the Member State-led Priority Capability Coalition (PCA) focused on drones. The European Commission serves as the secretariat; the Alliance is co-chaired by the Commission and Ukraine.

Why Ukraine is central: the Commission explicitly references lessons learned from Ukraine – linking R&D with production under real battlefield conditions, fast development cycles, and building scalable production capacity through continuous technological iteration. This experience is what the EU identifies as the model for its own capability development.

The long-term goal is to prepare the ground for larger-scale initiatives under the next EU multiannual financial framework (MFF). Founding members establish their position in this structure from the outset.

Who can become a founding member

Eligible applicants are legal entities established and with their management structure in one of the following jurisdictions: EU member states, EEA EFTA states (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), or Ukraine.

Two mandatory conditions. First: the organization must not be under the control of a third country or third-country entity. Second: the applicant must not be subject to EU restrictive measures or sanctions.

Applicants must demonstrate a contribution to the European and/or Ukrainian defence drone ecosystem, or documented plans to do so.

The call is open to a wide range of participants: system manufacturers, startups and scaleups, and end-users. Public legal entities – governmental bodies, agencies – may apply for Public Partner status.

A dedicated quota for SMEs and startups: after the initial two-year founding period, at least 5 of the maximum 15 elected Board seats are reserved for representatives of small and medium-sized businesses and startups.

Selection criteria

Selection runs in two steps. First, the Commission checks eligibility: registration, sanctions status, and sector relevance. Applications that pass move to the Alliance Board for substantive evaluation.

The Board assesses three criteria from the Terms of Reference:

1. Quality and relevance of experience – including battlefield-tested track records. Documented combat-validated experience is a direct competitive advantage for Ukrainian manufacturers.

2. Alignment between applicant expectations and Alliance objectives – how well what the company wants from the Alliance matches what the Alliance is building.

3. Specificity of proposed contribution – what exactly and how the company plans to bring to the Alliance’s work. Acceptance decisions are made by simple majority vote of the Board.

What founding membership provides

Founding members form the first Alliance Board and serve for two years. The Board decides on priorities, working groups, new members, and overall strategy.

Concrete opportunities by timeframe:

For Ukrainian manufacturers, this is also direct access to EU markets, member state procurement procedures, and partners that would otherwise take months to find through conferences and personal networks.

How to apply

Applicants submit applications through the online form on the European Commission’s platform:

→ EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance online application form

Additional documents to review before submitting: Draft Terms of Reference (PDF, 483 KB) and Privacy Statement – available on the official call page.

Secretariat contact: EU-UKRAINE-DRONE-ALLIANCE@ec.europa.eu

This is the first round of several planned calls. The Terms of Reference provide for multiple cut-off dates for subsequent rounds. Founding member status and a seat on the first Board are available only in this first call.

Summary table: EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance