Luxembourg plays a key role in the EU-funded Seeds of Bravery project, connecting Ukraine’s deep tech startups with Europe’s innovation ecosystems.
Jean-Michel Gaudron
When the EU launched the €20 million Seeds of Bravery initiative in October 2023, it was more than just a wartime response. It was a bold step toward securing Ukraine’s innovation future. And Luxembourg stood at the center of it.
Chosen by the European Innovation Council and a consortium of 19 partners from 12 countries, Luxinnovation, the national innovation agency, was tasked with leading Work Package 5: “Pan-European Integration (EU-UA Gateway)”. “This selection reflected strong trust in Luxembourg’s capability to connect Ukraine’s startups and deep tech scene with Europe’s wider innovation networks,” comments Inna Perepelytsya, Senior Advisor – Startup Relations at Luxinnovation, who is in charge of this project within the agency.
But Seeds of Bravery is more than a grant distribution program. It's about building sustainable bridges – networks, trust, and support systems – between Ukrainian startups and European innovation players: agencies, accelerators, corporates, and investors.
Luxembourg was selected for its expertise, agility and growing strength as a European innovation hub —particularly in sectors like deep tech, space, cybersecurity, ESG tech, and healthtech.
A strong trust in Luxembourg’s capability to connect Ukraine’s startups and deep tech scene with Europe’s wider innovation networks. Inna Perepelytsya, Luxinnovation
Through Luxinnovation, the country offers soft-landing services, mentorship, R&D collaboration opportunities and flagship programmes like Fit 4 Start, highly attractive to foreign entrepreneurs.
Backed by institutions such as the Ministry of the Economy, the Luxembourg–Ukraine Chamber of Commerce (LUCC), and LuxDev, Luxembourg has become a key gateway for resilient Ukrainian tech talent entering Europe.
A major milestone was reached at Nexus Luxembourg 2025, Luxembourg’s flagship tech event in June 2025. Seeds of Bravery took center stage through an inspiring panel session and a high-profile Pan-European innovation ecosystem matchmaking event, co-hosted by Luxinnovation and LUCC.
This session convened over 70 ecosystem players, including investors, EU accelerators, and Ukrainian founders, for structured networking, fireside chats, and panels on innovation resilience, EU–Ukraine collaboration, and startup scaling.
Startups like Trace Crystal, Hideez and S-Lab shared their journeys into European markets. Representatives from Luxembourg, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine offered insights on cross-border innovation pipelines.
Thanks to Luxinnovation’s coordination, this wasn’t just a symbolic event—it led to dozens of tangible outcomes, such as:
Luxembourg clearly demonstrated its role as both a destination and connector for European innovation support structures and Ukraine’s deep tech sector.
Under Luxinnovation’s leadership, Work Package 5 delivered multiple activities that turned EU-Ukraine integration from vision to action:
More than 30% of Ukrainian startups in the pipeline operate in deep tech, including standout ventures like Poly Diagnostics (Biotech), Haiqu (Quantum-AI) and S-Lab (GreenTech)
Mapping the European innovation ecosystemTo ensure long-term impact, Luxinnovation Market Intelligence team developed the EU-UA gateway mapping tool, which includes 1,970+ ecosystem players across Europe: VCs, innovation agencies, co-working spaces, accelerators, and incubators.
This interactive map, available via the Seeds of Bravery dashboard, is a valuable resource for Ukrainian startups navigating European support systems.
“Our goal was to create more than just a map: we wanted to build a bridge. This tool empowers Ukrainian startups to find the right partners, resources, and opportunities across Europe, accelerating their integration into the innovation ecosystem”, explains Mathilde Hampert, Market Intelligence Analyst at Luxinnovation.
Between 2024 and 2025, Luxembourg’s contribution gained wide recognition. Beyond the success of the Nexus Luxembourg 2025 event, strategic partnerships and MoUs were signed during this period between EU and Ukrainian players, including chambers of commerce and incubators.
“Seeds of Bravery is more than a project. It’s a model for building resilient, inclusive innovation ecosystems across borders. Olena Malchyk, Luxinnovation
Through other events like LUCC’s Ukraine Resilience Business Forum and Luxembourg Venture Days, Ukrainian founders also pitched and connected across sectors. On its side, the Luxembourg's bilateral development cooperation agency LuxDev supported selected startups with travel grants, reinforcing Luxembourg’s role as an integration enabler.
“Seeds of Bravery is more than a project. It’s a model for building resilient, inclusive innovation ecosystems across borders,” enthuses Olena Malchyk, EIC Project Manager at Luxinnovation.
Luxembourg, through Luxinnovation and its national and international partners, has emerged as a trusted connector in Europe’s innovation landscape. It demonstrates that even in the face of war, innovation can thrive through collaboration.”
