Grant program for developers of firefighting drones

The Ukrainian Startup Fund, with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Brave1, and the State Emergency Service (SES), is launching a grant program for manufacturers of firefighting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground-based robotic systems (GRS).

• The maximum grant amount that one developer can receive is 8 000 000 UAH.
• One developer within the Grant Program can receive a total of no more than 5 grants per fiscal year for a total amount not exceeding 30 000 000 UAH.
• A developer may submit no more than one application for a single development, except in cases of repeat funding in the event of improvements to the development.

The focus of the grant program is aimed at supporting manufacturers of firefighting unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with the following characteristics:

• flight endurance of at least 45 minutes (with payload);
• payload capacity of at least 25 kg;
• maximum flight altitude (with payload) of at least 80 m;
• control signal range of at least 2 km;
• deployment time of up to 10 minutes;
• remote-controlled system for dispensing fire-extinguishing agents;
• availability of an RGB camera and a 640×512 thermal imaging camera with zoom;
• navigation without a GNSS module, with optical flight stabilization;
• stable operation under electronic warfare (EW) interference;
• moisture protection rating of at least IP55;
• operating temperature range from –10 to +60 °C;
• wind resistance up to 12–15 m/s;
• vibration and impact resistance;
• modular design.

The program also supports manufacturers of firefighting unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with the following characteristics:

• electric or diesel engine;
• continuous operation time of at least 4 hours;
• speed of at least 10 km/h;
• tracked or wheeled chassis;
• integrated firefighting monitor/nozzle with remote control capability and a capacity of 300 to 1,500 l/min;
• modular design;
• payload capacity of at least 200 kg;
• heat-resistant design of all external components;
• protection of video and radio signal transmission systems from high temperatures;
• compact dimensions for maneuvering in confined spaces of industrial facilities;
• a winch to enable robot evacuation in case of loss of control;
• panoramic cameras with a 360° field of view and a thermal imaging camera;
• control signal range of at least 2 km;
• built-in lighting systems.

The UAS and UGVs selected under the grant program will be transferred to units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) for operation and deployment in emergency response activities.

You can submit your application at: https://portal.usf.com.ua/

The grant program is implemented by the Innovation Development Fund, within which the Ukrainian Startup Fund is responsible for the development of civil innovations, and Brave1 is responsible for defense innovations, with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.