The Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Security and Defence Council, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry for Strategic Industries have presented the BRAVE1 defence tech cluster. It is a unified platform for cooperation between defence tech companies, the state and the military, as well as investors, volunteer foundations, media and all those who help bring victory closer through technology.

The full-scale war has opened Ukraine to the world as an innovative country. Hundreds of Ukrainian defence tech companies are developing technological solutions to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities and save military and civilian lives.

UAVs, situational awareness systems, artificial intelligence, and satellite data are innovative developments that help us gain an advantage on the battlefield.

BRAVE1 is being created to accelerate the implementation of such developments. The coordinated work and interaction of the cluster members will help to identify and develop technological solutions for the security and defence sector faster.

“Ukraine should become a country that rapidly develops, learns and actively uses technology. The creation of BRAVE1 is one of the important steps in this direction. Our goal is to build a system for the rapid launch of defence tech projects. To take bold decisions and create the best conditions for the development of companies developing military technologies. Indeed, technology and courage can do a lot for our victory,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development and Minister of Digital Transformation.

Any person, startup or company will be able to present their idea or product to BRAVE1 and receive a grant from the state. In this way, businesses get development opportunities and our military gets winning technologies.

Companies in the defence tech industry will receive organisational and expert support for their developments, as well as access to accelerators and incubators. This involves systematic work on improving developments, increasing knowledge of how to scale businesses, creating value for investors, and mentoring.

In general, the cluster’s work is focused on five main areas:

• Invest: Providing grants to developers that meet the needs of the Security and Defence Forces.
• Invent: Helping the Security and Defence Forces find effective technological solutions among Ukrainian developers.
• Platform: Creating a platform that brings together all industry stakeholders.
• Showcase: Interacting with the Defence Forces, demonstrating developments and receiving feedback on their use.
• Boost: Providing comprehensive support to projects that meet the needs of the Security and Defence Forces.

The experience of cooperation between public and private stakeholders within BRAVE1 and the support of the industry will not only help the army, but will also become a powerful product for export. After all, Ukrainian defence tech solutions have proven their effectiveness in the fiercest of battles.

You can submit your own project and get access to military expertise, grants and other opportunities offered by the cluster at the following link: https://brave1.gov.ua/en

BRAVE1 is a cluster for the defence tech development in Ukraine, established by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Security and Defence Council, the Ministry for Strategic Industries, and the Ministry of Economy.

Source: https://thedigital.gov.ua