For the first time, Ukrainian startups have the opportunity to compete for funding from the European Commission independently from other European competitors. Recently, the EU announced a new competition focused exclusively on deep-tech teams from Ukraine. As part of the HORIZON-EIC-2025-UKRAINIANTECH-01 competition, the European Commission has allocated €20M to support Ukrainian technology companies. These funds will be distributed among more than 40 startups working in innovative fields and investing in R&D.
The funding is part of the larger EIC Pre-Accelerator program, which aims to prepare teams from countries with less developed innovation ecosystems to participate in the EIC Accelerator, a program offering grants of up to €2.5M and investment amounts of up to €10M. An important requirement for participation is that projects must not be at an early stage, and already have a developed MVP, scientific or technological innovation, and the potential to enter European markets. The competition also offers mentoring support, training sessions, and assistance in preparing complete applications for the EIC Accelerator.