Photo by Olha Vasylets, Militarnyi
The Ukrainian defense technology innovation cluster Brave1 and the French Defense Innovation Agency (AID) have signed an agreement to launch the joint grant program Brave France, with a total budget of €20 million, contributed equally by both sides (€10 million each).
According to a statement published by the cluster, the agreement was signed by AID Director Patrick Aufort and Brave1 Chief Operating Officer Iryna Zabolotna, in the presence of French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin, on the sidelines of the Eurosatory 2026 international defense exhibition, which is held every two years in Paris.
Under the Brave France program, Ukrainian and French companies will focus on developing defense solutions, particularly in the areas of missile technologies, unmanned systems, and countermeasures against aerial threats.
The cluster noted that the parties are currently establishing a joint Executive Board and finalizing the priority areas and expert committees.
The maximum grant amount has been set at €1 million, and the first competition is scheduled to be launched in September of this year.
Testing of the developed technologies will be conducted through the Test in Ukraine platform, with verification under real combat conditions.
“Brave1 is proud of this partnership and ready to get to work. We are pleased that France is among the countries choosing to build the future of defense technologies together with Ukraine,” the statement said.
In February of this year, Brave1 and AID signed a letter of intent regarding the creation of the joint Brave France grant program.
Brave1 is a state-backed defense technology cluster established in 2023 at the initiative of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.
