{"id":31210,"date":"2025-03-31T14:09:05","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T11:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clusters.org.ua\/?p=31210"},"modified":"2025-03-31T17:57:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T14:57:35","slug":"accelerators-vs-clusters-5-areas-where-dual-use-clusters-can-significantly-strengthen-ukraines-defense-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clusters.org.ua\/en\/blog-about-clusters\/accelerators-vs-clusters-5-areas-where-dual-use-clusters-can-significantly-strengthen-ukraines-defense-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"Accelerators vs Clusters: 5 areas where dual-use clusters can significantly strengthen Ukraine\u2019s Defense potential"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past months, the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA) has actively showcased Brave1<\/strong>, the state-backed defence tech accelerator, as a prime example of how structured support can accelerate innovation in the MilTech sectors. At the same time, we continue to advocate for clusters<\/strong> and the cluster-based approach \u2014 two of the three \u201cpillars\u201d of any high-tech industrial ecosystem that we laid out in our Industry 4.0 vision back in 2018. The third pillar? Expert Centres 4.0 \u2014 capable of delivering support services for SMEs and technology transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, the Ukrainian State has proven the validity of accelerators<\/strong>. However, the other two pillars \u2014 especially clusters \u2014 remain in the shadows, even regarding defence and security. In this article, we use the example of Ukraine\u2019s defence-industrial sectors to demonstrate five key areas where clusters<\/strong> can meaningfully contribute to the country\u2019s resilience and long-term defence capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Context: Accelerators vs Clusters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is no doubt about Brave1’s impact<\/strong><\/span>: 1,500+ MilTech producers engaged, exponential growth in product output (10x in some cases), tens of millions in investment, and many startups transitioning to full-scale production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about clusters? Aside from Lviv-based IRON Cluster<\/strong>, which shows impressive growth, few of UCA\u2019s 10+ member clusters have made substantial progress in the Dual-Use or MilTech space. Why? The answer is obvious: there are practically no support tools or public investment mechanisms for cluster development<\/strong> in Ukraine. Unlike Brave1, which benefits from strong State backing, clusters rely entirely on self-organization. IRON is a rare exception thanks to support from local authorities who introduced innovation vouchers for SMEs. But even the most capable cluster teams can\u2019t thrive in a vacuum. Our conclusion: without external support, clusters don\u2019t take off \u2014 even in fast-growing sectors like Dual-Use or MilTech<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advantages of Dual-Use Clusters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But there is a question: Why do the Ukrainian state or other stakeholders (including European institutions) not invest in the cluster movement in Defense, especially in EU-Ukraine collaboration in this area? One reason is the lack of awareness of the advantages of clusters in solving common Defense issues, especially in the long term. Here is this list, which is especially relevant to the Dual-use sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Civil-military synergy<\/strong>
    Clusters enable natural collaboration between civil and military sectors. For example, we can easily find UAV and robotics startups, agritech companies, and cybersecurity firms in the same cluster. Or AI systems or autonomous navigation solutions can be deployed in civilian and military contexts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Flexibility in war and peace<\/strong>
    Accelerators, such as Brave1, are built for \u201ccombat readiness.\u201d Clusters are about “resilience and sustainable growth.”<\/strong> They are the bridge to long-term reintegration of the Defence industry into European and global markets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Local industrial capacity<\/strong>
    Clusters promote localization of production<\/strong> (electronics, mechanics, energy systems), reducing dependence on imports, which is crucial for both Ukrainian and European industries. This is a core function of clusters worldwide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Advocacy and influence<\/strong>
    Clusters have more collective weight when engaging with state institutions, donors, and the EU. They can push for changes that benefit entire sectors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Innovation ecosystem development<\/strong>
    No business association is better suited than clusters to drive the growth of local innovation ecosystems. They collaborate with universities, build shared R&D labs, incubators, and support infrastructure. Ukrainian clusters are just beginning this path, but it is a proven European model.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Summary Table: Clusters and Accelerators Compared<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    Criteria<\/strong><\/th>Accelerators (e.g. Brave1)<\/strong><\/th>Clusters (industrial, tech, regional)<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Focus<\/strong><\/td>Support for individual startups (MVP \u2192 scaling)<\/td>
    Systemic integration of business, academia, and government<\/td><\/tr>
    Support tools<\/strong><\/td>Grants, mentorship, fast-track to Ministries and donors<\/td>R&D cooperation, shared platforms, testbeds<\/td><\/tr>
    Institutional sustainability<\/strong><\/td>Project-based, often short-term<\/td>Basis for long-term industrial strategy<\/td><\/tr>
    Scalability<\/strong><\/td>Select few companies \u2192 narrow impact<\/td>Broad industry coverage, cross-sector synergies<\/td><\/tr>
    Dual-Use focus<\/strong><\/td>Primarily MilTech<\/td>Ideal for Dual-Use: civilian + military naturally converge<\/td><\/tr>
    EU integration<\/strong><\/td>Case-specific, less embedded<\/td>Actively linked to Euroclusters, Horizon, Interreg, EDF<\/td><\/tr>
    Export capacity<\/strong><\/td>Dependent on individual firms<\/td>Export channels, certifications, value chain access<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Advocacy Campaign: Clusters4Defense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In April, UCA will launch a new advocacy campaign<\/strong> to mobilize and support clusters<\/strong> in Ukraine and Europe working in defence, dual-use, and security sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our key messages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n