NATO interested in Ukrainian defense innovations

MOSCOW. May 29 (Interfax) - NATO will provide expert support for Ukrainian innovations and will invest 1 billion euros in European dual-use technology projects, the Ukrainian media said with the reference to the Ukrainian Digital Transformation Ministry.

The ministry published a press release after a meeting between Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology, Digital Transformation Minister Mikhail Fedorov and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges David van Weel.

"The Digital Transformation Ministry and NATO start working in two areas, namely, NATO expert support for Ukrainian dual-use solutions and the search for ways of funding Ukrainian innovations from which both Ukraine and the Alliance will benefit. Back in 2022, the Alliance established the NATO Innovation Fund to develop technologies. The Fund is planning to invest 1 billion euros in startups designing dual-use technologies prioritized by NATO. Its active operation begins as early as this year," the press release said.

NATO members are interested in cooperation with Ukraine and are considering options to support Ukrainian military products, including defense tech projects of the BRAVE1 cluster, it said.

In the words of van Weel, NATO supports Ukraine, including its innovation efforts, and sees the way to a powerful Ukrainian innovation ecosystem in tomorrow's economic development of the country.

As reported earlier, the Digital Transformation Ministry has opened the Brave1 defense cluster on the basis of the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) to support innovative defense projects in the course of the BRAVE1 Defense Innovation Council.