European Commission partners with the European Defence Agency on BraveTech EU

The European Commission and the European Defence Agency (EDA) have signed a Contribution Agreement to launch the second phase of the BraveTech EU initiative, marking a significant step forward in EU-supported defence innovation. Under this agreement, EDA will receive €35 million to implement the next stage of the programme.

BraveTech EU, announced on 11 July 2025 by Commissioner Andrius Kubilius and Ukrainian Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, is an innovation scheme developed in close cooperation with the Ukrainian defence innovation cluster Brave1. The initiative is designed to accelerate the development of solutions that directly address urgent operational needs, particularly those emerging from the Ukrainian battlefield.

Structured in two phases, BraveTech EU combines rapid identification of promising technologies with real-world validation.

The first phase, known as 'DefTech Forges', was awarded to a consortium formed by Civitta, Starburst Accelerator and Darkstar. This phase focuses on filtering and selecting the most promising solutions from innovators across Europe. The second phase, now entrusted to EDA, will involve testing and evaluating these solutions in environments that closely resemble real operational conditions, and scenarios drawn from the war in Ukraine.

Implementation of the initiative is already underway. The first DefTech Forges events are scheduled for June in Estonia and in France, while the initial testing and evaluation activities are expected later this year. Together, these efforts aim to strengthen Europe's defence innovation ecosystem while providing tangible support to Ukraine's immediate operational needs.

More about the DefTech Forges events