The EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) is an instrument enabled by the European Defence Fund (EDF) to strengthen defence innovation in the European Union.
EUDIS offers a set of instruments for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups, and other non-traditional players in defence industrial ecosystem to ensure more opportunities to access the European Defence Fund.
It aims to lower entry barriers into the defence domain for smaller players and innovators, focusing on technological readiness and market maturity. EUDIS is here to support innovators throughout the development cycle to mature, scale-up, demonstrate their use-case, grow and successfully enter the market.
Building on the success of the previous edition, the 2025 EUDIS Defence Hackathon will further refine the approach, expanding the scope and deepening the collaboration between participants, mentors, and industry leaders.
This year, participants will engage with more complex and dynamic challenges, leveraging the insights gained from 2024 to develop solutions that are both scalable and adaptable to evolving defence needs.
The EUDIS approach aims to create a lasting impact by not only supporting innovation during the hackathon itself but also by nurturing ongoing project development through mentorship and community engagement.
The EUDIS Defence Hackathon is designed to foster defence innovation across Europe, promoting collaboration among EU Member States, Norway and Ukraine and driving the development of emerging technologies.
By focusing on key areas such as hardware innovations, community resilience, and cybersecurity, the hackathon aims to create solutions that enhance Europe’s ability to address complex defence challenges.
The initiative encourages cross-border teamwork, enabling participants from different countries and backgrounds to combine their expertise, develop creative solutions, and contribute to a stronger, more integrated European defence ecosystem.
The inaugural EUDIS Hackathon in 2024 showcased impressive innovations in defence technology across Europe. Here’s a summary of the top winning projects
developed an advanced solution for subsea infrastructure protection. Their project involves innovative underwater monitoring and threat detection systems to safeguard critical marine assets.
created a groundbreaking system for improving situational awareness. This team's solution probably utilizes cutting-edge sensors, data analytics, or AI to enhance military decision-making and response capabilities.
focused on cybersecurity in defence, developing a tool or platform to strengthen digital defences against emerging threats. Their project may involve real-time threat detection, advanced encryption, or AI-powered cyber resilience systems.
These winning teams demonstrated the potential for collaborative innovation in addressing critical defence challenges. Their success highlights the effectiveness of the EUDIS Hackathon in fostering new ideas and solutions for Europe’s evolving defence needs.