From 15 to 17 October 2026, the EUDIS Defence Hackathon brought together innovators at eight locations across Europe to tackle a strategic theme at the heart of Europe’s defence and security priorities: Autonomy on the Battlefield.
Across the eight host locations, over 558 startups, SMEs, engineers, researchers, developers and defence specialists joined forces for 48 fast-paced hours. Guided by mentors and informed by expert and end-user perspectives, they transformed operational challenges into practical concepts and solutions.
This fifth edition of the EUDIS Hackathon focused on autonomous systems and robotics that can deliver an operational advantage in the air, on land, at sea and in space, while supporting Europe’s security and technological sovereignty.
Two common challenges set the direction for teams: GNSS-denied navigation, calling for autonomous systems that can navigate and operate without satellite positioning by using onboard sensors and real-time perception; and swarm coordination, focused on multi-agent drone or robot systems capable of collaborating on missions with minimal human control. Each host location also introduced a locally defined challenge reflecting its regional defence ecosystem, industrial strengths, research capabilities and operational realities.
By the end of the weekend, participating teams had designed, developed and pitched 148 innovative solutions, ranging from practical approaches to resilient navigation to coordinated autonomous systems for missions such as reconnaissance, logistics, search and rescue, mapping and tracking.
The simultaneous hackathons were hosted by local organisers in Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Sweden, connecting participants with national innovation hubs, universities, research organisations and defence stakeholders within a coordinated European framework.
This hands-on format helped teams move beyond theoretical concepts and towards practical, deployable solutions with the potential to strengthen Europe’s defence readiness and resilience.
Following the final pitches, one winning team was chosen at each of the eight host locations:
- Austria – Irnas Technologies d.o.o.
- Cyprus – Axioniq
- Ireland – UCD UAV
- Italy – Elika Technologies
- Latvia – Detexity
- Norway – Vale
- Portugal – UB ROBOTICS
- Sweden – Ententee
Find out more about the winning teams and discover their solutions here: https://eudis-hackathon.eu/winners/
All winners will now enter the EUDIS Mentoring Programme, a structured two-month follow-on phase designed to help them turn promising solutions into defence-ready propositions. Each team will receive tailored support on product development, business strategy and market positioning, and will take part in a dedicated defence innovation bootcamp.
The programme will connect the teams with key actors across the European defence ecosystem, support customer validation and venture development, and prepare them to pitch their solutions to investors and other stakeholders.
The Autumn 2026 edition once again demonstrates that the EUDIS Hackathon is more than a hackathon. As part of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme and supported by the European Defence Fund, it provides a gateway into Europe’s defence innovation ecosystem, linking innovators with the expertise, operational insight and opportunities needed to take their technologies further.
Since its launch, the EUDIS Defence Hackathon has brought together more than 2000 participants across 38 hackathons in EU Member States and Norway, strengthening connections among innovators, industry, investors, defence stakeholders and EU institutions.
Want to learn more about the Mentoring Programme or take part in a future edition? Visit the EUDIS Defence Hackathon website: https://eudis-hackathon.eu/
