For the first time, Cyprus will host the EUDIS Defence Hackathon, one of the European Commission's key initiatives to boost innovation in the defence sector. The event will take place from 15 to 17 October 2026 in Nicosia, with Cyprus being among the eight European countries selected for the autumn edition of the institution.
The event in Cyprus is undertaken by C.D. Multimedia, in collaboration with the Cyprus Defence and Space Industry Cluster, while it is under the auspices of the Ministry of Defence and the CCCI. The EUDIS Defence Hackathon is part of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme, the European framework that aims to develop new technological solutions for the defence sector.
In total, eight hackathons will be held simultaneously in Cyprus, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.
The teams that will excel in the Cypriot event will share cash prizes totalling €10,000, while the top three teams will join the EUDIS European mentoring program, which will run from October to December 2026 and will conclude with the European final.
At the same time, additional support for participants is provided after the completion of the hackathon, with incubation programs, business guidance and support for access to national and European financial tools.
Three technological challenges
More than 50 pre-selected start-up founders, engineers and researchers from Cyprus and other European countries are expected to participate in the event, aiming to develop original defense technology solutions within 48 hours.
Participants will be asked to work around three key challenges. The first concerns GNSS-free navigation, i.e. the development of autonomous systems that can operate without reliance on satellite navigation, even in an environment of intense GPS interference.
The second focuses on the coordination of drone clusters and autonomous operations, with applications in search and rescue, mapping and refuelling missions.
The third challenge, which has been specifically designed for the Cyprus event, concerns the protection of critical infrastructure from unmanned aerial vehicles (C-UAS). The goal is to develop a system that can detect and classify threats and coordinate the response to low-cost drones.
Who can participate
The hackathon is aimed at startup founders, engineers, researchers and students, as well as people with a related technological background. A basic requirement is that teams already have a prototype or MVP of TRL4 level or higher and are interested in developing dual-use applications.
Participants must be adult citizens and residents of an EU Member State, Norway or Ukraine. Participation is free of charge and requires physical presence in Nicosia. For registrations follow the link: https://tally.so/r/eqOPAE
