The European Innovation Council will provide EUR 20 million to promote innovation in Ukraine. The Seeds of Bravery project will last for two years, and the first winners will receive funding in 2023.

The grant fund for Ukrainian start-ups and innovative companies will amount to EUR 12 million. Apart from grant funding, the programme will include activities to attract additional investment, promote Ukrainian projects, train entrepreneurs, and provide programmes to enter international markets, as well as integrate the Ukrainian innovation ecosystem into the European network.

"Development of innovations is one of our priorities. This is the way to develop the digital economy, increase GDP and strengthen our army. The Seeds of Bravery programme will help about 200 Ukrainian startups. This is an opportunity to develop our innovation community. We believe in the ability of our entrepreneurs to implement revolutionary ideas. Therefore, we are grateful to the European Innovation Council, which also sees this potential and gives a powerful impetus to the development of innovations in Ukraine," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

The Seeds of Bravery initiative pays special attention to innovative solutions aimed at rebuilding Ukraine. In particular, start-ups that provide innovative services or are engaged in innovative entrepreneurship, as well as projects aimed at commercialising scientific research, can apply for grants. Each company will have a chance to attract up to EUR 60,000 in grant funding.

One of the key members of the consortium, which will bring together 22 participants, is the Ukrainian Startup Fund. The coordinator is the experienced European agency FundingBox. Luxinnovation, Plug and Play, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship and other well-known European stakeholders have also joined the consortium.

A grant agreement is currently being prepared and all the necessary documents are being approved. Startups will soon be allowed to apply for grants.

The support programme complements the ongoing initiatives of the European Research Area for Ukraine (ERA4Ukraine), Horizon4Ukraine and ERC for Ukraine, as well as a special EUR 25 million scholarship scheme under Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) for refugee researchers from Ukraine.