NATO · NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), co-funded with Ukraine's Brave1 / Ministry of Digital Transformation via NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP)
UNITE – Brave NATO is the first joint NATO-Ukraine programme designed to scale prototyped and battlefield-tested innovative technologies that meet interoperability requirements, executed by NCIA via NATO competitive procurement. It pairs companies from NATO member states with Ukrainian firms (coordinated by the Brave1 defence-tech cluster) to co-develop solutions in priority capability areas including counter-UAS, air defence, secure frontline communications, and GPS-denied navigation. Projects must reach TRL 7+ and undergo mandatory validation through the TEST IN UKRAINE platform before contract award.
For NATO-nation defence-tech SMEs, this is a direct route to innovation contracts funded by NATO's CAP, with no requirement to have pre-existing Ukrainian partners — the portal's matchmaking system facilitates pairing. The programme targets high-urgency, combat-proven technology domains where demand is immediate and real-world testing in Ukraine provides unmatched validation. With the first round at EUR 10m and stated ambitions to scale to EUR 50m, early participation positions companies for follow-on competitions as the programme expands.
24 NATO Allies (standalone venture capital fund)
The only sovereign-backed VC dedicated to Alliance defence, security and resilience: patient capital comfortable with defence sales cycles, and a cheque that signals credibility to ministries and co-investors.
NATO / NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), governed by the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD)
AFSC is the largest and most complex capability procurement effort NATO has undertaken, offering sustained long-term contracting opportunities for defence and deep-tech companies across all 32 Allied nations. Companies working in ISR, unmanned systems, space-based surveillance, AI/data fusion, cloud architectures, and C2 systems are directly in scope for national and multinational development contracts tailored to AFSC requirements. Entering the Realization Stage in 2026 signals that procurement contracts for actual capability delivery—not just studies—are now on the near-term horizon.
The fastest single door into NATO for a dual-use startup: non-dilutive cash, military end-users, test infrastructure, and since 2026 a direct contracting path to Allied ministries via the Rapid Adoption Service.