While the demand for advanced prosthetics in Ukraine has surged drastically since 2022, local developers face structural bottlenecks that mirror deep-tech hardware challenges worldwide: prolonged R&D cycles, reliance on foreign-made critical components, and capital-intensive certification pathways.
To bridge this gap between research and market deployment, the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) and defense tech cluster Brave1 have launched “Innovative Prosthetics” – a dedicated non-repayable grant program offering up to UAH 8 million per project for Ukrainian engineering teams and manufacturers.
The initiative is executed under the umbrella of the Innovations Development Fund (where USF oversees civilian technologies and Brave1 leads defense applications), with support from the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine.
Accelerating the Hardware Pipeline: Funding Tiers
The program is structured around Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), de-risking development from initial research to certification-ready prototypes:
Up to UAH 2 million: Idea validation and early-stage development research.
Up to UAH 4 million: Laboratory sample development, accompanied by engineering and user trials.
Up to UAH 8 million: Functional prototyping or final product development, laboratory testing, and preparation for conformity assessment and regulatory certification.
Priority Tech Verticals
The initiative is engineered to reduce dependency on foreign supply chains while pushing localized customization. Applications are open to teams developing:
Upper and Lower Limb Systems: Bionic, electronic, and mechanical assemblies designed to enhance functionality, durability, and user ergonomics.
Critical Component Manufacturing: Core sub-systems including onboard electronics, micro-drives, specialized battery management systems, and mechanical nodes aimed at curbing import reliance.
Personalization and Rapid Fitting: Advanced manufacturing methodologies, including industrial 3D printing and tailored software platforms that adapt hardware to individual anatomical requirements.
“Ukraine has unique practical experience and, simultaneously, an immense need for modern prosthetics technologies. However, market demand alone is not enough to build globally competitive Ukrainian solutions – developers require capital to navigate expensive, prolonged stages of R&D, prototyping, testing, and certification prep”, said Iryna Zabolotna, Deputy Director of the Innovations Development Fund.
“That is why we are launching a program to support teams across different stages of technological readiness – from validating an idea to building a prototype ready for market entry. Our goal is not merely funding standalone developments, but establishing the infrastructure for a fully-fledged innovative prosthetics segment in Ukraine: built on domestic technologies and components, customizable to individual needs, and capable of scaling internationally”.
Addressing Structural Market Inefficiencies
Domestic innovators in Ukraine currently confront high maintenance costs, fragmented regional servicing, complex medical device certification pathways, and a talent squeeze across biomechanics, embedded electronics, and industrial design.
By injecting non-dilutive capital directly into localized R&D, the program aims to convert frontline clinical demand into scalable, globally exportable hardware solutions.
How to Apply:
Applications are officially open and processed through the Ukrainian Startup Fund Portal. Detailed eligibility criteria and program requirements are available on the official USF website.
