CorkBIC Partners in the €20million "Seeds of Bravery" Project funded by the European Union under the European Innovation Council (EIC) supporting the Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem

01 February, 2024

Warsaw Jan 24th 2024 - AxisBIC participated in the grand kick-off meeting of the "Seeds of Bravery" project marking the official launch of open calls for proposals for all five support programs, designed to empower Ukrainian tech startups and SMEs with innovative solutions, services, and products.

On December 20, 2023, a pan-European consortium, including AxisBIC, composed of renowned tech, funding and business companies, launched a €20 million “Seeds of Bravery” project. The initiative is funded by the European Union, under the European Innovation Council (EIC) and aims at supporting the Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem.

With a focus on deep tech innovation, the group has earmarked €12 million for 200 Ukrainian startups. In addition to non-refundable grants, “Seeds of Bravery” aims to attract additional investment, promote Ukrainian projects, train entrepreneurs, enter international markets, and integrate the Ukrainian innovation ecosystem into the European network.

Fionnuala Wall and Declan Fox, AxisBIC pictured at the "Seeds of Bravery" Project Kick-Off Meeting

The kick-off event brought together the "Seeds of Bravery" consortium members, key stakeholders, innovators, and policymakers from Ukraine and the EU to announce the open calls for proposals for all five programs, providing insights into the application process, eligibility criteria, and the support offered. Among the distinguished guests were the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy and a representative of the National Center for Research and Development of the Republic of Poland (Aleksandra Ihnatovicz).

Each program targets projects that are key economic drivers for Ukraine's rebuilding efforts and enhance the presence of Ukrainian startups in a broader European innovation ecosystem. The project is also expected to pave the way for Ukrainian tech startups to participate in future EIC calls.

For more information on "Seeds of Bravery" and the Open Calls, visit The Seeds of Bravery Website

About “Seeds of Bravery”:

The “Seeds of Bravery” project's main goal is to create a pan-European network that bilaterally supports both the integration of Ukrainian technology innovators into European ecosystems and their activities in Ukraine.

The “Seeds of Bravery” consortium consists of 17 partners and 2 associate partners: Aalto University, Accelerace, AxisBIC, Da Vinci Labs, Cyber/nnov8, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, EIT Health, FundingBox Accelerator, Impact Hub Stockholm, Institute of Physics of National Academy of Science (EEN Network), Luxinnovation, Plug and Play, Sunrise Tech Park, Techosystem, Ukrainian Startup Fund, Vacuum Deep Tech Acceleration, YEP.

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

Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union, under the European Innovation Council (EIC). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. UASEEDs project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme under grant agreement No 101104445.