Ukraine and France Launch Joint Grant Program for Defense Innovation

Ukraine and France have signed an agreement to establish a joint grant program for the development of defense technologies.

The agreement was signed by the Ukrainian defense cluster Brave1 and the French Defense Innovation Agency under the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Iryna Zabolotna, Chief Operating Officer of the Brave1 cluster, told Militarnyi about this.

The Brave France initiative will support the development of Ukrainian and French defense innovations, facilitate hackathons to find practical solutions, and foster the growth of startups.

“Together, we will identify a list of priority areas for Ukraine that will be supported under this grant program,” said Iryna Zabolotna.

The program’s budget on the Ukrainian side will amount to €10 million. The French side will also allocate €10 million.

“We will have a joint budget and will support both ecosystems—Ukraine’s and France’s,” Zabolotna noted.

At the same time, the top priority will remain the areas most needed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“First and foremost, we need to agree on a list of priority areas, and we are already working on this. Next, we need to create a joint mechanism for cooperation between Ukraine and France, which will make decisions and involve relevant experts. It will take us about two months to complete all the bureaucratic procedures,” she explained.

Innovations within the project are planned to be tested through the Test in Ukraine platform.

In addition, Ukraine will soon begin implementing a grant program with Norway.

“This partnership gives Ukraine an opportunity to access its allies’ cutting-edge technologies, while the French side gains access to unique experience in high-tech warfare that cannot be replicated under any other conditions,” Brave1 reported.