The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved new rules for managing intellectual property within the Defense Forces, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
“Military developments owned by the state may be transferred into serial production on a paid basis through a transparent licensing system. At least 25% of funds from paid licenses will be paid directly to the military service members who developed the respective technologies. The remaining amount will be directed to military R&D needs and the development of defense innovations. In certain cases, technologies may be licensed free of charge,” the statement said.
The resolution expands and supplements the intellectual property licensing mechanism in the defense sector introduced in October 2025 as part of an experimental project for transferring Ministry of Defense technologies into production.
It is noted that the new licensing procedure opens the market for defense technologies owned not only by the Ministry of Defense but also by other components of the Defense Forces, and provides new incentives for defense enterprises: state technologies may be transferred under paid exclusive licenses, allowing companies to invest both in production and in the long-term development of the technology received from the state.
In addition, the document establishes competitive conditions for manufacturers: a competitive selection of licensees for exclusive licenses is introduced, along with equal conditions for obtaining non-exclusive licenses.
The government decision applies not only to technologies for production but also to the use of content (audio, video, images) and other intellectual property objects belonging to the Defense Forces.
“Thus, a unified ecosystem for managing intellectual property in the defense sector is being created, enabling the state, in partnership with business, to respond to the challenges of war across all domains,” the Ministry of Defense emphasized.
Funds received from licensing will have a clearly defined purpose. In addition to remuneration for military developer-authors, the funds will be directed to financing the activities of the unit where the relevant technology was created, which is an important factor in building R&D capabilities within the military.
Part of the funds will also be allocated to measures for the development of defense technologies in Ukraine and their legal protection.
“The implementation of this initiative will ensure full commercialization of state defense developments, accelerate R&D cycles both in the military and private sectors. It will also allow domestic defense enterprises to scale effective technological solutions and create a technological advantage in cooperation with the state,” the ministry believes.
