Over 1,000 grants issued for drones, robotics, EW equipment, and missile tech
Since 2023, the Ukrainian defence innovation cluster Brave1 has funded the development of military technologies worth a total of 6.2 billion hryvnias. Over this period, developers of weaponry and specialized equipment received more than 1,000 grants. The funding helped establish new technological sectors, including interceptor drones, electronic warfare systems, and robotic platforms. This is reported by the portal PromPolitInform, citing information from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
Securing grant funding enables domestic defense companies to accelerate the path from an initial concept to mass production. Studies indicate that the financial support increases a product’s technology readiness level by an average of 1.7 points on the TRL scale.
Brave1 grants are non-repayable and do not require transferring equity stakes or intellectual property rights to the state. Most surveyed manufacturers noted that they would have been unable to find alternative sources of funding for their projects.
Financial Support Models for Manufacturers
Under the main grant initiative, developers received 977 grants totaling 2.3 billion hryvnias. The largest share of funding went toward developing unmanned aerial vehicles, ground robotic platforms, and electronic warfare and intelligence systems.
A specialized grant track finances priority areas, including missile technologies and artificial intelligence. This program provided 20 grants worth 145 million hryvnias.
Large-scale grant competitions focus on breakthrough technologies based on specific technical requirements from the Defence Forces. Under this initiative, 34 projects totaling 3.7 billion hryvnias were funded, covering cruise and ballistic missiles, air defense systems, and autonomous tech.
International Cooperation and New Priorities
In 2026, developers received 11 grants totaling 81 million hryvnias under the EU4UA Defence Tech international program to build high-speed interceptor drones and radar systems. The total budget for this program exceeds 150 million hryvnias.
Updated priority sectors include missile components, swarm management tech for drones, engineering robotic platforms, infantry detection radars, and specialized lens and magnet manufacturing technologies.
Photo: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
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