🚨 EDTH Balkan Tour: Join Us in Romania and Bulgaria This October

This October, we’re heading to Romania and Bulgaria for three events. We’ll start with two days of field testing near Bucharest on October 7–8, followed by our first Bucharest hackathon on October 9–11. A week later, we’ll bring our first hackathon to Sofia on October 16–18.

Romania has faced repeated drone incursions, with fighter jets scrambled and residents near the Ukrainian border receiving air alerts. The shadow fleet adds to the risks facing shipping and critical infrastructure in the Black Sea. These waters carry Ukrainian grain exports and connect Europe to trade routes further east.

Romania and Bulgaria sit on the western shore, where ports and energy infrastructure need protection, as does the airspace. Keeping those connections open matters to people and businesses far beyond the region.

For people building detection systems, autonomous platforms, or resilient communications, there is plenty of work to do on NATO’s eastern flank. We want to bring more of those builders together with the operators who will use their technology.

Here’s what we have planned:

🇷🇴 Near Bucharest, Romania | October 7–8, 2026

Together with ASO Airspace Intelligence, we’re hosting two days on a live field site for teams ready to fly, drive, and run their systems in front of operators, procurement representatives, and investors.

The first day is for setup, integration, and dry runs. On the second day, teams participate in structured demos, meet with end users, and compare notes during an after-action debrief. There will be runway and field access, with safety and operations support.

If you already have hardware to show, this is the stop for you.

Join the Field Testing Days

Want to field test? Fill in this survey and let us know what you bring.

🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania | October 9–11, 2026

Stay in Bucharest for our first hackathon in the Romanian capital, co-organized with How to Web, Underline Ventures, and EY.

Over the weekend, teams will work on challenges including counter-UAS, resilient communications, and navigation without GNSS. You can choose a prepared challenge or bring your own project, with feedback from people who have worked on the frontline.

The hackathon follows the How to Web conference, so there’s a chance to meet the region’s startup community earlier in the week, then spend the weekend building together.

Apply for the Bucharest Hackathon

🇧🇬 Sofia, Bulgaria | October 16–18, 2026

A week later, we’re bringing our first hackathon to Bulgaria, co-organized with Capital. Bulgaria’s defense industry and position on the Black Sea make Sofia a natural place to connect new technical teams with people who understand the region’s security needs.

Teams will develop their projects with feedback from military mentors. And there is a concrete next step for the strongest teams: the winner gets a pitch slot at the Regional Defence & Security Summit in Sofia on October 21. The top three teams receive full access to the Summit, where they can meet military leaders, industry executives, and investors.

Apply for the Sofia Hackathon

Want to see what the teams build? EDTH Community members can join the Sunday Demo Days in Bucharest and Sofia. Join the community for access.

Explore all upcoming EDTH events