While others take summer off, we’re doubling down with new hackathons, new partnerships, and new momentum across Europe 🚀

Two weeks ago, we ran our latest hackathon in Sheffield, UK, with projects ranging from anti-FPV defenses to field-ready GNSS navigation—here’s an overview of the winning teams 

Next stops: Copenhagen, London, Tallinn, and more!

🇩🇰 Copenhagen: Round Two (Aug 29–31)

The European Defense Tech Hackathon returns to Copenhagen this August: lu.ma/edth-2025-copenhagen 

— bringing together 100+ engineers, founders, and military technologists to build solutions in just 42 hours. This time, we'll focus on three tracks:

🔊 Acoustic Detection (Helsing)
AI systems that detect drones, gunfire, and vehicle signatures in real time

💉 Combat Medic Support (The AO)
Digital + hardware tools for frontline medics—wireless biosensors, rugged triage systems, and more

🌊 Maritime Dominance (Bifrost Defence)
Modular USVs to boost naval agility, resilience, and swarm capabilities in contested waters

We’re grateful to have Helsing again as our Key Partner and DTU - Technical University of Denmark as our host, with strong support from DTU Skylab, DTU Electro, and the Danish Chips Competence Centre—huge thanks to our co-organizers, Maria Damsgaard and Claus Friis Pedersen!

Also, we're very grateful for the support of the Danish Defence Command, Defense Innovation Highway | DIH, Bifrost Defence, Inflection.xyz, DroneAid Collective, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence!

🚨 Looking to Break into Defense Tech?

Join our EDTH Talent Platform: https://eurodefense.tech/talent 

One application opens the door to hundreds of opportunities at Europe’s leading defense technology companies in our network.

📝 With our quick two-minute application process, you can create a free search profile and answer a few short questions about your skills and preferences.

🤝 We'll then match your qualifications with available positions in our network. If there's a potential fit, one of the companies will reach out to you directly. 

🔐 Your information is kept confidential and is only shared with the specific company that contacts you, ensuring that all communication remains exclusively between you and the employer.

🛰️ More Events Across Europe

🌐 Virtual Demo Day, Aug 19

​In the first half of 2025, we hosted eight European Defense Tech Hackathons across Europe, engaging hundreds of participants and dozens of projects — sign up here: https://lu.ma/edth-virtual-demo-day-2025 

​​Join us on August 19 for our Virtual Demo Day, where we’ll showcase the 12 most promising teams from recent hackathons. Discover who they are, how their prototypes have evolved, and what’s next on their journey.

📍 London, England | Sep 25-28

200+ hackers. 66 hours. One of our most ambitious hackathons to date. Sign up here: https://lu.ma/edth-2025-london

The London edition brings multi-domain C2, drone resilience, and autonomy at the edge into focus — shaped by real needs from those on the frontlines:

📍 Tallinn, Estonia | Sep 25

Our first-ever Defense Hack Day — hosted during Estonian Defence Week — challenges you to build something that matters in just one day. Sign up here: https://edw.ee/en/estonian-defence-week/defence-hack-day/ 

👀 Even More Events

Regular, 42-hour hackathons running Friday 6 pm till Sunday 12 pm:

• ​Milan, Italy (October 3-5): https://lu.ma/edth-2025-milan

• ​Hamburg, Germany (October 10-12): https://lu.ma/edth-2025-hamburg 

• ​Munich, Germany (October 24-26): https://lu.ma/edth-2025-munich 

• ​Canberra, Australia (February 6–8, 2026): https://lu.ma/adth-2026 

​Flagship 66-hour hackathons:

• ​Berlin (November 13 – 16, just before Berlin Security Conference): https://lu.ma/edth-2025-berlin 

• ​Munich (Feb 12-15, 2026, alongside Munich Security Conference): https://lu.ma/edth-2026-munich 

​Not defense but adjacent:

• ​European Space Cybersecurity Hackathon (Oct 17-18): https://lu.ma/u81cjnoz?tk=hbbSUw 

New Partnerships

🇪🇺🇨🇦 Transatlantic Defense Innovation

We are thrilled to share that we have joined forces with The Icebreaker—Canada’s foremost defence innovation community—to launch a new transatlantic partnership for dual-use and defense tech.

This collaboration creates a direct pipeline for startups to access funding, field trials, and procurement opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic — from Ukraine to North America.

🇪🇺🇮🇱 A New Bridge for Defense Startups

EDTH is partnering with NEX42 to connect two of the world’s most dynamic defense ecosystems — Europe and Israel.

This new alliance gives dual-use and security startups access to operational testing grounds, early customers, and aligned capital on both sides of the Mediterranean.

🇺🇦 K4 – Ukraine’s New AI Defense Accelerator Is Open for Applications

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence just launched K4 Startup Studio — a wartime accelerator for AI startups building tech that could shift the battlefield. Apply till Aug 15.

• Choose from four frontline challenges or pitch your own AI-driven military solution

• $250,000 grants for each of the four selected teams (total $1M)

• Field-tested validation with direct feedback from Ukrainian forces

“We believe in engineers who turn code into weapons,” says Deputy Minister Kateryna Chernohorenko. “And we’re building the infrastructure to make that possible.”

🐍 Defense Tech Monthly – July Edition

The team at Snake Island Institute is back with the latest edition of Defense Tech Monthly. It offers a sharp look into the battlefield technologies, strategic shifts, and innovation gaps that shape modern warfare.

Drawing from frontline developments, the July issue explores the growing capabilities of Shahed drones, the early potential and limitations of tactical battlefield lasers, and the evolving role of Ukraine’s deep-strike UAV operations.

It also covers the rapid innovations in naval drone warfare and examines how alternative communication systems are stepping in where Starlink falters.