EDA partners with the European Commission on BraveTech EU

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Commission signed an agreement on 29 April giving the Agency responsibility for the next phase of BraveTech EU, a joint initiative between the European Union and Ukraine.

The goal of BraveTech EU is to accelerate defence innovation by bringing together the EU's and Ukraine's defence industries and empowering them to develop new technologies using lessons learned from real battlefield experience in Ukraine.

This agreement marks an important step in strengthening Europe's defence innovation ecosystem. It also reinforces EDA's role in defence innovation by building on the approach developed through the Hub for EU Defence Innovation (HEDI), notably through its Operational Experimentation (OPEX) model, which connects promising technologies with military users and operational needs.

Under the agreement worth €35 million, EDA will be responsible for the BraveTech EU's second phase focusing on testing of emerging defence technologies and ideas proposed by European and Ukrainian innovators, SMEs, and startups. Military experts from the EU countries, Ukraine, EDA and the European Commission will then assess the solutions against different operational scenarios drawn from the war in Ukraine.

"EDA's involvement in BraveTech EU demonstrates the Agency's capacity to turn promising technologies and ideas into solutions that can be assessed, matured and brought to operational use. BraveTech EU reinforces EDA's role as a focal point for defence innovation in Europe, linking real military needs, experimentation, and capability development in a more focused, operational way," said André Denk, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency.

"Ukraine's resilience in the face of aggression has been an inspiration to us all. Their ingenuity has reshaped the approach to innovation in response to battlefield needs. Today's cooperation agreement with the European Defence Agency marks a significant step forward in our collective commitment to supporting Ukraine and strengthening European security. It also shows our shared determination to deliver tangible, impactful solutions through BraveTechEU," said Timo Pesonen, Director General of fhe European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space.

Drone reparation in the field conditions in Ukraine. © European Union, 2025

About BraveTech EU

BraveTech EU is designed to shorten the time between innovation and operational use. With total budget of €100 million, the initiative focuses on startups, SMEs, and emerging technologies, and is implemented in two phases - Seed and Scale Up. It will give EU Member States and Ukraine faster, safer and more cost-effective access to battlefield proven defence technologies, turning operational experience into scalable, EU-wide defence capabilities while strengthening the European defence industrial base and improving overall EU defence readiness.

BraveTech EU is a joint European Union - Ukraine initiative. Led by the European Commission, it brings together the European Defence Fund (EDF), the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), the European Defence Agency and Ukraine's BRAVE1 platform into a common effort for joint development, testing, and deployment of advanced defence solutions.