The Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) and Brave1, Ukraine’s defence technology cluster, have launched a grant program called “Innovative Prosthetics” for Ukrainian developers of prosthetic technologies, according to a Brave1 news item dated 23 September 2026. The program offers non-repayable state grants of up to UAH 8 million per developer, which UNITED24 Media converted to $177,507. Brave1 said the program is backed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity. The Ministry of Digital Transformation published the announcement on the Ukrainian government portal on 24 September.

What can be funded

According to Brave1, the grants are for developing and testing prosthetic solutions at stages ranging from initial concepts and laboratory samples to prototypes, in three areas:

  • Limb prosthetics: bionic, electronic and mechanical systems for upper and lower limbs that improve the function and comfort of prostheses.
  • Components: electronics, actuators, battery systems, mechanical assemblies and other technologies that could reduce Ukrainian manufacturers’ reliance on imported components.
  • Personalization: 3D printing and other solutions for adapting a prosthesis to an individual’s needs.

Brave1 said the program aims to help Ukrainian teams move from an idea to a functional prototype, including testing, certification and later scaling in Ukrainian and international markets.

Grant sizes

The amount depends on the technology readiness level, according to Brave1. Interfax-Ukraine, citing the Ministry of Social Policy, gave more detail on what each tier covers:

  • Up to UAH 2 million for testing an idea and conducting research.
  • Up to UAH 4 million for creating a laboratory model and carrying out engineering and user testing.
  • Up to UAH 8 million for creating a prototype or finished product, laboratory testing and preparing for conformity assessment and certification.

At the exchange rate implied by UNITED24’s conversion, UAH 2 million is about $44,000 and UAH 4 million about $89,000 (Lens arithmetic). UNITED24’s own article gave about $44,000 for the first tier, $97,000 for the second and “almost $90,000” for the third, figures that do not match its $177,507 conversion of UAH 8 million.

Who runs it and how to apply

The program is run by Ukraine’s Innovation Development Fund, within which USF is responsible for civilian innovation and Brave1 for defence technology, according to the government portal. Applications are submitted through the USF portal, portal.usf.com.ua. None of the announcements Lens read gave an application deadline, a total budget or the number of grants to be awarded, and Lens found no report, as of 12 November 2026, of applications received or grants made under the program. Brave1 filed the announcement under its “Military” and “Manufacturers” categories.

What officials said

Denys Uliutin, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity, said a person’s needs, including their lifestyle, activity level and daily loads, should be taken into account while a prosthesis or component is being developed, and that this is why the program’s funding of user testing matters, Mind.ua reported, citing the ministry’s press service. Iryna Zabolotna, deputy director of the Innovation Development Fund, said developers need resources to get through the costly and lengthy stages of research and development, prototyping, testing and preparation for certification, according to UNITED24.

Context

UNITED24, citing Interfax-Ukraine and experts from Protez Hub, a project that supports prosthetics in Ukraine, reported that about 20,000 people in Ukraine had needed prosthetic care since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, as of January 2025. The same article listed challenges for the domestic industry, including dependence on imported components, high research costs, long certification procedures and shortages of specialists. Lens did not check these figures against official data.

Lens has also reported on Brave1’s grant competition for military humanoid robots.

Sources and notes

Read in full: Brave1’s news item “The Ukrainian Startup Fund and Brave1 launch a new grant program offering up to 8 million UAH to developers of innovative prosthetics” (23 September 2026); the Ministry of Digital Transformation’s announcement on the government portal (24 September 2026, in Ukrainian); Interfax-Ukraine (23 September 2026); UNITED24 Media (23 September 2026); Mind.ua (23 September 2026, in Ukrainian); dev.ua (23 September 2026); and LB.ua (8 October 2026, in Ukrainian, based on the Brave1 release). Uliutin’s and Zabolotna’s statements are paraphrased; the Ukrainian sources were translated by Lens. Lens did not read the Ministry of Social Policy’s own release, except as reported by Interfax-Ukraine and Mind.ua; did not open the USF application portal; and did not see Protez Hub’s data. Kurs.com.ua and Odessa Journal blocked access. The tier descriptions in the Brave1 item are shorter than those in Interfax-Ukraine and Mind.ua; the amounts match in every source Lens read. Thumbnail photo: “2023 04 26 photo-0083 (1)” by Iryna Supruniuk25 via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; cropped to leave out a broadcaster’s microphone. It shows a bionic hand made by Esper Bionics at the presentation of the Brave1 cluster on 26 April 2023. Illustrative photo; Esper Bionics is not named in the program announcements, and the photo does not show the events described.

Image: Lens chart built from the figures above. Thumbnail: Iryna Supruniuk25 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).