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UNITE Brave NATO opens the door for Ukrainian defence startups
UNITE Brave NATO 2026 is giving Ukrainian defence startups a pathway to standardization and joint production with NATO member states. The €10 million pilot — with the potential to scale up to €50 million — is designed to accelerate the transition from battlefield-tested prototypes to serial manufacturing.
This was outlined by Alexandra Fadieieva, an international grants expert at Crowe Mikhailenko, in a column for Novyny.LIVE.
UNITE Brave NATO — boosting Ukrainian defence innovation
According to the expert, 2025 introduced a new cooperation framework between Ukraine and the Alliance: UNITE Brave NATO is meant to speed up the journey from a front-tested prototype to a standardized product integrated into NATO supply chains.
The 2026 pilot starts with €10 million and may expand to €50 million — a clear market signal that partners are ready to invest in serial production and interoperability.
What has been announced, and who coordinates the program
UNITE Brave NATO will operate on a co-funding basis: NATO’s contribution comes through the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, while Ukraine’s share is provided by the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Coordination on Ukraine’s side falls to Brave1, which unites developers, manufacturers and testing grounds. The first competition will be administered by NATO’s Communications and Information Agency (NCIA).
For industry, this means clarity, measurable outcomes and faster decision-making cycles.
Why this matters for Ukraine and NATO
Ukraine gains a channel into NATO standardization and co-production, access to NATO integrators, and testing documentation aligned with what defence ministries expect.
NATO, in turn, receives rapid knowledge transfer from the battlefield, opportunities to test technologies under real combat conditions, and insights that feed directly into doctrine, logistics and training. Both sides benefit from improved interoperability and shared requirements.
Pilot priorities and scaling potential
The first call will focus on three critical areas: counter-UAS, air-defence enhancement components, and secure frontline communications.
These domains have proven essential for unit resilience and operational tempo.
Future rounds may expand to electronic intelligence systems, resilient navigation in GPS-denied environments, and unmanned ground platforms for logistics and engineering tasks.
According to Fadieieva, scaling the budget to €50 million in 2026 will enable support for serial batches and transition to training-and-combat deployment within units.
International teams and application timeline
A key requirement is joint applications from teams in NATO member states and Ukraine. This model ensures knowledge transfer, mature production planning and rapid integration into tactical systems.
Registration of interest will open soon, submissions are expected in February 2026, and results will be announced in the spring at the Second NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum. Teams should already be forming partnerships, aligning IP rights, data access and security protocols.
Steps to join UNITE Brave NATO 2026
- Build a bilateral team: a Ukrainian developer plus a NATO-country partner (R&D, manufacturer or systems integrator). Define ownership and supply-chain security.
- Formulate the combat task: C-UAS, air defence or secure communications; identify key KPIs — deployment time, reliability, endurance, integration.
- Prepare a testing dossier: Test in Ukraine protocols, proving-ground reports, telemetry, failure logs, an improvement roadmap.
- Design the production pathway: batch sizes, BOM, critical components, alternative suppliers in NATO jurisdictions.
- Assemble a compliance package: export control, sanctions screening, IP access regime, data-security policies.
- Build a budget and timeline: milestones, deliverables, risks and buffers; check for possible cash gaps 60–90 days between reporting and payment.
- Submit pre-registration and prepare the application: team roles, deployment track within units, scaling plan toward NATO standards.
UNITE Brave NATO — opportunities for Ukrainian teams in 2026
UNITE Brave NATO makes the road to serial deployment more predictable — with clear priorities, transparent selection, and a defined scaling trajectory.
For Ukrainian teams, this is a chance to transform battlefield innovation into solutions compatible with Alliance requirements and enter international defence contracts.
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