UNITE – Brave NATO: applications open for the first joint Ukraine–NATO innovation grant program
Brave1 and NATO are officially opening applications for their first joint innovation programme, UNITE – Brave NATO.
It is the first joint innovation grant program designed to bring together Ukrainian defense companies and companies from NATO member states to develop cutting-edge technologies for the battlefield.
Focus on countering drones and air defense
The first call focuses on developing counter-UAV technologies and strengthening air defense capabilities and for the first time will be administered through Ukraine’s Prozorro platform.
Funding of up to €250,000 or €500,000 per partner will be available for joint projects in the following areas:
- Active Protection Systems against FPV Drones;
- Advanced and Affordable Counter-Shahed Systems;
- Electromagnetic Support for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT);
- Electromagnetic Attack (EA) technology against FPV drones;
- High-Altitude Platforms.
The program is open to joint teams consisting of one Ukrainian company and one company from a NATO member state.
How the selection process for UNITE – Brave NATO will work
The selection process consists of two stages. The first stage, Expression of Interest, is a qualification review to verify that applicants meet the program’s eligibility requirements. The Expression of Interest must be submitted by the Ukrainian partner on behalf of both organizations.
Applications for this stage will be accepted for five business days from the date of the official announcement. The deadline to submit an Expression of Interest is August 3. Applications submitted after the deadline or in paper form will not be considered.
Documents needed to take part in UNITE – Brave NATO
As part of the application, the Ukrainian company must upload the following documents:
- A letter of assurance confirming the Developer’s compliance with the qualification requirements;
- An extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organisations;
- The ownership structure and information on the ownership structure of the company;
- A letter of assurance confirming the availability of a Partner from a NATO country;
- A Statement of Accession to the non-disclosure agreement.
Once the submission period closes, Brave1 will conduct a compliance review of all applications. Companies that successfully complete this process will be included in the Register of Qualified Applicants and invited to participate in the second stage of the competition.
During the second stage, qualified teams will submit full joint grant proposals.
The program is expected to support technologies through to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8, with all selected solutions undergoing mandatory validation through the TEST in UKRAINE platform.
The full program regulations, eligibility requirements, and application details are available here: https://prozorro.gov.ua/uk/framework/UA-F-2026-07-28-000001
Background: UNITE – Brave NATO is the first joint Ukraine–NATO programme in the field of defense innovation, set up to scale technologies that have already been developed and tested to a level fit for serial production and use on the battlefield. The programme was officially announced on 25 November 2025. On the Ukrainian side it is coordinated by the Brave1 defense innovations cluster, while on the NATO side the first call is being run by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA).
If the pilot call proves successful, the two sides plan to scale the programme up: funding for UNITE – Brave NATO could rise to €50 million to support new joint defense projects and deepen technological cooperation between Ukraine and Alliance member states.
