EU invites SMEs to apply for autonomy hackathon

The EU has opened registration for its newest European Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) hackathon, to help develop and test autonomous drone swarms for logistics and reconnaissance missions. 

Falling under the European Defence Fund, the EUDIS hackathons are sprint events where teams from SMEs, startups, and research organisations build technologies from scratch to solve specific challenges. The first hackathon was held in May-June 2024. 

According to an announcement from the EU on 17 August, the new hackathon – now in its fifth iteration – will focus on ‘Autonomy on the Battlefield’. It will encompass three distinct challenge areas, with teams able to respond to a specific area each. 

Taking place on 15-17 October, the EU says that the selected teams will be able to work with mentors and end users from the defence industry while building their technologies. 

The hackathon will take place across eight locations simultaneously in Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. 

What are the hackathon challenges?  

The first challenge of the hackathon will focus on autonomous systems that can navigate in GNSS-denied conditions. Teams should be able to develop or use data from quantum sensors – such as accelerometers or gravimeters – to offer advantages such as navigation without GPS, the detection of subterranean structures, and non-line-of-sight sensing.  

The second challenge is focused on drone swarm coordination and will see teams develop drone or robotic swarms that can operate with “minimal human control”. The technologies must additionally “include optimisation using quantum simulation”. The swarms should be designed for missions such as search and rescue, mapping, or target tracking.  

The final challenge will be defined by the organisers at each location, to “reflect local defence ecosystems, industrial strengths, research capabilities, and operational realities”.  

Notably, the EU says that the challenge areas are indicative, with teams being encouraged to think “creatively” about defence and dual-use technologies.  

Results from the hackathon 

Winning teams will have the opportunity to join a two-month Mentoring Programme that will offer advice on product development, business strategy, and marketing. Teams may also join a “defence innovation bootcamp” and pitch their technology to investors.  

The EU specifically encourages Ukrainian teams to enter the hackathon and urges individuals from the country to apply for mentor or jury member roles.