Ukrainian defense technology cluster Brave1 has signed its first international R&D partnership with leading Dutch research organization TNO. The agreement was signed during the Defense Tech Valley 2025 investment summit.
Ukrainian defense technology cluster Brave1 has signed its first international R&D partnership with leading Dutch research organization TNO. The agreement was signed during the Defense Tech Valley 2025 investment summit.
The partnership statement was published on the official Brave1 cluster page. The parties agreed to focus on three areas: integration of Ukrainian deftech startups into the Dutch innovation community; testing Dutch innovations in Ukraine in combat and training scenarios; and systematic consideration of the needs of Ukrainian defense technologies in Dutch R&D projects.
The partnership should provide a short path from the technical specifications to the prototype and from the prototype to experimental operation at Ukrainian test sites. Brave1 emphasizes that the exchange of expertise and joint pilots should accelerate the adoption of engineering decisions and shorten the cycle of delivering technologies to the front.
TNO will leverage its own competencies in autonomous systems, decision support, acoustic systems and underwater combat, electromagnetic solutions and military operations, as well as in the areas of individual and organizational effectiveness, protection, ammunition and weapons. It is expected that the joint teams will be able to validate sensors, navigation algorithms, communication systems, and means of attack and protection more quickly.
Following the summit, the parties agreed on a format for ongoing interaction: startup integration channels, joint testing mechanisms in Ukraine, and the import of Ukrainian technical requirements into the design and evaluation of solutions in the Netherlands. Brave1 emphasizes that the cooperation opens up access to a leading international research community to address the military’s urgent technological needs.
Brave1 reports that this is the first international cluster agreement in the «joint development» format signed at Defense Tech Valley 2025. The message states: the goal is to integrate startups, rapidly test innovations in Ukraine, and synchronize technical requirements so that defense needs directly shape the roadmaps of joint R&D with TNO.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Ukrainian drone manufacturer Warbirds of Ukraine presented the deep strike drone «Zozulya» with a flight range of 2,100 km at the Brave1 Defense Tech Valley 2025 exhibition.
