European Commission grants €20 million to help Ukrainian startups and SMEs

The European Commission has awarded between €300,000 and €500,000 to each of 41 cutting-edge Ukrainian startups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to "help them turn groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions", it announced on 01/04/2026.

The decision follows a European Innovation Council (EIC) call and represents a total investment of €20 million. The companies will also have the possibility to access the EIC Accelerator (EIC fast track scheme), which offers larger grants and equity investments via the EIC Fund.

"The initiative comes at a critical time as Ukrainian innovators face huge challenges, from limited access to capital to disruptions caused by Russia’s war of aggression. The EU funding will help bridge a critical financing gap, enabling these deep tech pioneers to progress from early-stage development to market-ready deployment in vital sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, cybersecurity and more," the Commission declared.

This new initiative builds on the Seeds of Bravery initiative launched in 2022 under the EIC after Russia…