Registrations have opened for the EUDIS Defence Hackathon Spring 2026, a European Union-backed event that will run from 26 to 28 March 2026 across eight locations in the EU and Norway.
The fourth edition of the hackathon is calling for participants from 16 February, with sign-ups open until 20 March 2026, the European Commission announced on Wednesday.
The Spring 2026 theme is “Defending Airspace”, with challenges focused on airspace protection, drone systems and emerging threats.
Organisers said the event is aimed at startups, researchers, engineers, developers and defence professionals, with teams expected to build and prototype solutions over the three-day period.
Participants will work with industry experts, defence stakeholders and end-users during the event.
Mentoring, pitching and Ukrainian participation
Winning teams will be offered a tailored mentoring programme to develop and apply their solutions, including guidance from defence and innovation experts and support on business and deployment strategies, the Commission said.
Selected teams will also get opportunities to pitch and to network with defence stakeholders, investors, industry representatives and EU institutions at European-level events.
Ukraine-linked input is built into the challenge design, with the organisers saying the tasks reflect “concrete operational needs” and build on EU cooperation with Ukraine.
Ukrainian citizens are encouraged to take part across all locations as competitors, mentors or jury members, the EU’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) said.
