Brave1: a state entry point for defence technology
On 26 April 2023 Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ministry of Defence, General Staff, National Security and Defence Council, Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Strategic Industries presented Brave1, a defence technology cluster offering developers state grants, military expertise, testing and support.
Why it matters
In a war where, in the government's words, drones, situational awareness and artificial intelligence give an advantage on the battlefield, the state created a single channel through which a private development could reach the military, from idea to codification. Before it, by the cluster's own account, no such entry point existed.
The cluster's work is divided into five lines: grants, finding solutions for the defence forces, a platform for all participants, showcasing and feedback from the military, and project support. The launch page names no resolution. The grant programme began in July 2023. What the record does not claim: any figures for the first year, the numbers of developments, including those in artificial intelligence, of grants or of codified products. The digital ministry's report of 2024 gives them, and there is no second independent source. The memorandum named by the research report behind the candidate was not found.