The EUDIS Hackathon 2025 Autumn edition brought together Europe’s most promising innovators to address critical challenges in space and defence. This third edition of the EUDIS Hackathon, themed “Technologies for Space and Defence”, took place from 17 to 19 October 2025 across eight European locations, hosted in Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland and Portugal.
Over the course of an intensive weekend, 471 participants from EU Member States, Norway and Ukraine collaborated to design and pitch 129 innovative solutions, fostering cross-border cooperation and strengthening links between Europe and Ukraine in the defence and space domains.
EU-Wide Live Pitching Competition – 14 January 2026
The EUDIS Hackathon provides a unique opportunity for participants, including startups, researchers and technology experts, to develop cutting-edge solutions addressing Europe’s most pressing defence and space challenges. Following the conclusion of the Autumn edition in October 2025, eight local winning teams, one from each host country, were invited to take part in an EU-wide live pitching competition held on 14 January 2026.
This competition marked a key milestone in the EUDIS Hackathon journey, offering the selected teams the opportunity to showcase their solutions at European level, compete alongside other top innovators from across Europe, and gain further visibility with institutional and industry stakeholders. Each team delivered a three-minute live pitch, followed by six minutes of questions and answers from a high-level jury of European defence and space experts.
The top three winners of the EU-wide pitching competition will be invited to attend a major European defence, startup or innovation event, where they will present their solutions to industry leaders, investors and public authorities. The European Commission’s DG DEFIS will promote the selected projects, supporting networking opportunities and potential pathways towards further development, partnerships and funding.
Pitching competition winners of the EUDIS Hackathon 2025 Autumn editionEight outstanding teams showcased their innovative solutions addressing Europe’s defence and space priorities. The top three winners, selected by the jury during the EU-wide pitching competition, are:
- 1st place: Trusk (Netherlands)
- 2nd place: Raid (Portugal)
- 3rd place: True Sight (Italy)
The five additional finalists, recognised for the quality, ambition and relevance of their solutions, include:
- Sajgonki (Poland)
- SkyHunter (Romania)
- Kestrel Defence (Czech Republic)
- C-UAS Bavaria (Germany)
- Eurolynx (Spain)
Congratulations to all participating teams for their technical excellence, collaboration and contribution to strengthening Europe’s defence and space capabilities.
Background
The EUDIS Hackathon is not solely a competition; it is a platform designed to shape the future of European defence and space innovation. The EUDIS Hackathons and Mentoring Programme offer participants a unique opportunity to engage with the European defence ecosystem, connect with peers and experts, and develop solutions aligned with real operational needs.
Across its first three editions, the initiative has delivered 24 hackathons across Europe, engaging more than 1,200 participants from the EU, Norway and Ukraine. Each edition brings together innovators, researchers, startups, industry representatives and end-users to:
Looking ahead: Spring 2026 Edition
Building on the momentum of the Autumn 2025 edition, preparations are well underway for the fourth edition of the EUDIS Hackathon, taking place 26–28 March 2026 across eight locations in the European Union and Norway. Organised under the European Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), the Spring 2026 edition will focus on the theme “Defending Airspace”, reflecting Europe’s most urgent defence and security priorities.
Full details on the theme, challenges and opportunities to participate will be published on the EUDIS Hackathon website in the coming weeks.
Get Involved
For more information about Europe’s leading defence innovation hackathon and upcoming editions, visit:
https://eudis-hackathon.eu/
For media inquiries, partnerships or additional information, please contact:
EUDIS Hackathon Team
contact@eudis-hackathon.eu
