Join 100+ hackers from across Europe and beyond for the European Defense Tech Hackathon on August 29-31, 2025, in Copenhagen, Denmark
Connect with fellow defense innovators, meet potential co-founders, and work on projects that have the potential to save lives.
We’ll prepare challenges based on real-world problems, and you can bring your own project. You’ll get feedback from experienced mentors, and we’ll put you in a position to deploy your project in the real world after the hackathon.
Challenge Tracks
Challenge Track by Helsing: Acoustic Detection
Drones, gunfire, and explosions produce acoustic signatures that are difficult to conceal, spoof, or jam. This track challenges participants to develop battlefield-ready acoustic detection systems that can identify, classify, and localize key sounds in real time.
From compact soldier-carried devices to distributed sensor networks and AI-enabled signal processing, this track focuses on innovations that enhance situational awareness through passive listening. Applications include drone detection, gunshot localization, vehicle tracking, and early warning for indirect fire. Helsing are bringing an exciting acoustic challenge that will have you detecting drones in real time.
Challenge Track by The AO: Combat Medics Support Systems
Frontline medics operate under fire, at night, with limited resources, and overwhelming patient loads. This track challenges participants to develop digital and hardware solutions that directly support first-aid and battlefield casualty care.
From wireless biosensors and real-time vital sign monitoring to automated triage tools and ruggedized data systems, this track is focused on innovations that enhance speed, accuracy, and survivability in combat medical response. This track builds on an ongoing innovation challenge with The AO around digital triage management.
Challenge Track by Bifrost Defence: Modular Maritime Dominance – Unmanned Surface Vehicles
Unmanned Surface Vehicles USVs are redefining asymmetric naval power as seen in Ukraine’s use of low-cost, high-impact systems to disrupt the Black Sea Fleet. This track calls on participants to design modular USVs built around a single operating core, scalable across sea, land, and air domains.
Key challenges include autonomous swarming, payload integration and resilient communications in contested maritime environments. From ISR to search and rescue, participants will prototype next-gen, multi-role systems that push the limits of modularity, interoperability, and mission adaptability.
Goals
1) Solve urgent defense and security challenges: Each hackathon features a fresh set of challenges sourced directly from frontline partners in Ukraine, NATO, and across the EU—driven by real needs, not theory.
2) Launch new careers and companies: Whether you’re breaking into the defense sector or building your own product and company, we connect you with jobs, funding, and pathways toward real-world deployment.
3) Strengthen Europe through defense innovation: Here is where Europe’s top talent meets the most pressing threats. By building and shipping, we demonstrate what a fast, capable, and resilient European defense ecosystem looks like.
Agenda
Friday, August 29, 2025
12:00 – Doors open, networking
13:00 – Welcome
14:00 – Workshops, Team Formation, Networking
18:00 – Start of Hacking
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Hacking All Day
Sunday, August 31, 2025
12:00 – End of Hacking
Demo Day (Open to Visitors)
13:00 – Pitches of all the teams
14:30 – Award Ceremony
15:00 – After-party & Networking
To give the participants time and space to focus on their projects during the hackathon, we’ll have no visitors during the hackathon. If you’re curious about the outcomes and what the teams have built, please sign up as a visitor for our demo day on Sunday.
Autonomous Systems Test Arena (ASTA)
Thanks to DTU Electro, we’ll have access to DTU ASTA (Autonomous Systems Test Arena) during the hackathon: a cutting-edge test facility at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) designed specifically for autonomous systems and drone technologies.
With a size of 40x24x14m, it is one of the world’s largest indoor infrastructures for testing mobile robot technology in three types of environment: land, air, water
- Large open spaces where to test land and aerial robotic systems in conditions close to the outdoor environment (GNSS signal available inside)
- 6.5×3.5x3m deep pool for conducting experiments with underwater robots or surface vessels. The equipped counter current unit enables more complex testing of water vehicles;
- a state-of-the-art Motion Capture System comprising 16 cameras, enabling precise tracking of the position and movement of multiple robotic systems on land, in the air, and on the water surface.
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to our key partner, Helsing! They have been a key partner of our Copenhagen hackathon in 2024, and we’re excited to have them onboard again as a reliable and dedicated partner helping us drive our mission forward.
Many thanks to our sponsor Bifrost Defencem, a Copenhagen‑based venture studio focused on defence and resilience. As a spin‑out from Bifrost Studios, they’re building startups with “wartime urgency” — rapidly turning capability gaps into deployable technology solutions.
Finally, huge thanks to all our additional partners, supporting the journey: D3 VC, The AO, DroneAid Collective, Defense Innovation Highway | DIH, Danish Chips Competence Center, DTU – Technical University of Denmark, DTU Skylab, DTU Electro, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
Finally, heartfelt thanks to our co-organizers, Maria Damsgaard and Claus Friis Pedersen—none of this would be possible without your dedication and leadership.