Ministry of Digital Transformation: Ukrainian and Norwegian defense tech startups will receive EUR 20 million for technology development

The Ministry of Digital Transofrmation creates a technological partnership between Ukraine and Norway in the development of defense innovations. The team has signed a Memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Norway.

The Brave-Norway program will help implement the agreements. It provides for:

• launching grants for Ukrainian and Norwegian startups in the field of unmanned systems and defense technologies;
• holding joint hackathons to find new solutions and develop startups;
• creating platforms to bring together scientists, companies, and entrepreneurs from Ukraine and Norway.

The program will be implemented by the Brave1 defense tech cluster in Ukraine and the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI) in Norway. The memorandum takes effect upon signing and will remain in force for one year with the possibility of extension.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation plans to launch the Brave-Norway program by the end of 2025. Its preliminary budget is EUR 20 million: EUR 10 million from each country.

The funds provided by Norway will be directed to a grant program for the development of technologies and solutions to be tested in Ukraine. If successful, these solutions may be recommended for large-scale procurement for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.