BraveTechEU DefTech Forges -
call for applications Summer 2026
If you are a start-up, scale-up or SME working on technologies relevant to European defence and security, we encourage you to apply to participate in the BraveTechEU DefTech Forges and bring your innovation into this high-impact ecosystem. The selected cohort companies will benefit from intensive mentoring, expert workshops, and direct exposure to defence end-users and procurement pathways.
Which location are you applying for ?
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Please select the location of the BraveTechEU DefTech Forge you would like to participate in.
Applicants' personal information
What is your full name ?
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What is your position in the company ?
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What is your email address ?
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What is your LinkedIn profile ?
What is your country of residence ?
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What is your citizenship ?
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What is your company name / project name ?
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Provide the official legal name of your company as it appears on legal documents or your project name.
What is your company website ?
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Include the full URL of your official website.
How many FTEs are currently working in your company ?
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In which year was your company founded ?
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01/01/YYYY - Only year is required
Is your company established in EU/Norway or Ukraine ?
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The target group companies of the DefTech Forge shall be established in the EU Member States, Norway or Ukraine.
What is your company's registration address ?
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Provide the full legal address of your company.
What is your company's registration number ?
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Enter your official company registration number, as provided by the relevant government authority.
What is your organization's type ?
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Startups include companies up to and including the Series A stage. Scale-ups refer to companies beyond the Series A stage. SMEs are those with an annual turnover of up to €40 million and fewer than 250 employees.
What is the TRL level of your company ?
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The target group companies of the DefTech Forge shall have a TRL 4+.
Please describe your funding path so far and what are the plans in near future
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Please outline your funding history, including any investments (dilutive or non-dilutive), and provide details such as the volume, funding rounds, etc.
Please describe your product
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In this field, briefly outline your value proposition before detailling the product, subsystems, and functionalities. Maximum 1500 characters.
Tell us more about the development timeline of your product so far
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Please restate the TRL of your solution/subsystem and provide a rationale for this TRL. Furthermore, highlight the future TRL roadmap within the next 12 months. Highlight any product demonstrations, field demonstrations performed, or deployments in real-life battlefield settings to help us assess your readiness to engage with military end-users.
How would you test and evaluate your solution during the DefTech Forge ?
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Please describe the proposed test scenario, what should be evaluated, and what equipment, conditions, or assets are required. Indicate whether your solution can be demonstrated as a standalone, fully testable system, or whether it depends on external platforms, systems, or infrastructure. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring a complete, self-contained test setup, including any enabling equipment such as drones, ground platforms etc.
What are your expectations & goals from the DefTech Forge?
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What are your expectations from the DefTech Forge? What technical goals are you hoping to achieve, and what support do you require from the organizers to effectively showcase your solution? Note: We remind you that we cannot provide you with any ammunition or explosives. If you need any for demonstration purposes, you must bring them fully in alignment with legal requirements.
Tell us more about the growth & development challenges you are facing at the moment
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What are the main growth and development challenges you are facing ? How can the BraveTechEU DefTech Forges help address these challenges ?
Please upload your evaluation deck - Maximum 15 slides
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PDF format recomended
Your deck should include the following key elements:
Describe the technology used and the unique advantage of your solution.
Explain how your technology aligns with the objectives and targets of the BraveTechEU DefTech Forges.
Highlight how your solution supports European defence capabilities and priorities, particularly the funding priorities of the European Defence Fund.
Explain how your solution aligns with BraveTechEU DefTech Forges technology themes.
Clearly define the value proposition of your solution.
Explain its fit within the defence market and its estimated market size.
Identify the market segment, the problem your solution addresses, and the associated benefits/costs.
Provide an overview of existing alternatives and competitors.
III. Go-To-Market Strategy
Outline your Go-To-Market strategy and how you plan to enter the defence industry.
Detail your growth strategy and overall development plan.
Indicate whether you already established partnership with end-users or already have public and/or private customers (specify the names, the type of partnership and related products/technologies, etc.)
IV. Financial Information
Provide an overview of your sales and revenues in 2024 and your target for 2025.
Provide an overview of your team, including number of employees.
Highlight the technical, business, and defence expertise within your team.
Showcase the diversity within your team (gender, background, origin).
Outline formal relationships with non-commercial customers (e.g. governments, NGOs) and commercial end-user engagement progress
Please ensure that your pitch deck does not exceed 15 slides, otherwise, your application will not be considered.
Please share your declaration of ownership and control
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This declaration should include detailed information about your company’s ownership structure, any foreign ownership and the entities that exert control over the company.
Please use our Ownership and Control Declaration (clickable link) template. Participants in the DefTech Forge
Please list the core team members who will attend the event in person
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For each please indicate:
- Full name
- Nationality
- Email
- Linkedin account
- Role within the team
Note: Since the testing campaign will occur on military bases, a security check is necessary for all attendees before each event. Additional stakeholders may be nominated at the point of selection, but must also complete the security check process.
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