EUDIS Defence Hackathon Autumn 2026 — Cyprus

Registrations are open. The 5th edition of the EUDIS Defence Hackathon runs on 15–17 October 2026 as eight simultaneous onsite hackathons across Europe — Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. Cyprus was selected by the European Commission (DG DEFIS) as one of the eight host locations; the local node runs in Nicosia, organised by C.D. Multimedia Services Ltd under the auspices of the Ministry of Defence and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Theme: "Autonomy on the Battlefield." The Cyprus node runs three challenge tracks:

• GNSS-denied navigation — autonomous systems that keep operating without satellite positioning, using onboard sensors and real-time perception.
• Swarm coordination — multi-agent drone or robot swarms that complete a mission together with minimal human control.
• C-UAS interceptor — the locally defined challenge: protecting critical infrastructure against hostile unmanned aircraft.

Field testing. Unusually for a hackathon, work is taken outdoors: testing takes place at the USRL Orounda Airfield with military personnel present, so teams see their system run in conditions closer to the ones it is built for. Prizes and support: over €10,000 in prizes at the Cyprus node, plus access to the EUDIS mentorship programme and extended ecosystem support running through 2028, followed by the EU-wide pitching competition. Who can take part: teams of two or more — engineers, startups, SMEs, researchers, developers and defence professionals. Teams are expected to arrive with an existing prototype, MVP or working demonstrator (roughly TRL4 and above); this is not a from-scratch weekend build. Every team member registers individually. Ukrainian teams qualify without the EU residency requirement, and selected teams from outside Cyprus may receive travel and accommodation support. How to apply: registration is via the organisers' form at tally.so/r/eqOPAE; places are limited and applications close on 2 October 2026. Participation is free. EUDIS is the EU Defence Innovation Scheme, run under the European Commission. The Spring 2026 edition, themed "Defending Airspace," drew 582 participants across eight European cities.

Prizes

Event website