Ukraine and NATO launch €10 million competition for joint defence development

Ukraine, together with NATO, has launched the first competition under the UNITE – Brave NATO programme. It involves the development of joint defence solutions between Ukrainian companies and those from Alliance countries.

Source: Ukraine's Defence Ministry

Quote from Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov: "We are strengthening partnerships to develop next-generation defence technologies. Together with NATO, we have launched the first competition under the UNITE – Brave NATO programme."

Details: This is a new format of cooperation in which companies from Ukraine and NATO countries combine technologies to develop a joint product for the Ukrainian battlefield.

The first stage of the competition involves creating B2B partnerships between Ukrainian and NATO companies.

"The programme is coordinated in Ukraine by the Brave1 defence innovation cluster. To ensure effective cooperation, a dedicated functionality has been created on the Brave1 portal, accessible after registration and verification," says Fedorov.

The focus of the first competition is air defence systems and countering Russian UAVs.

In particular, this includes:

– active protection systems against FPV drones;

– countermeasures against Shahed-type drones;

– strengthening signals intelligence (SIGINT) and electromagnetic technologies;

– development of autonomous guidance systems;

– high-altitude flight platforms.

The budget for the first competition is €10 million. Up to €1 million is allocated per joint project, with a cap of €500,000.

The winners are expected to be announced in the summer of 2026. Registration for participation is available via this link.

Background: Oboronka reported that Ukrainian students had developed prototypes of mechanical attachments for FPV drones as part of the first Brave1 engineering challenge Drone with Claws. The winners of the competition shared a prize fund of UAH 90,000 (about US$2,000).

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!