EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2026 – Cyprus Edition

The EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2026 is a flagship initiative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) under the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), running simultaneously across eight European locations. The Cyprus edition takes place on 15–17 October 2026 in Nicosia, led by C.D. Multimedia Services, with Citizens in Power (CIP) joining as co-host and Hackathon Programme and Facilitation Partner.

Over an intensive 48-hour build, startup founders and postgraduate researchers develop defence-technology prototypes under the theme “Autonomy in the Battlefield”, addressing three challenges: GNSS-denied autonomous navigation, multi-agent drone swarm coordination, and counter-UAS protection of critical infrastructure.

CIP’s contribution draws directly on its experience as the EU Commission-designated local organiser of the 2023 CASSINI “Space for Defence & Security” Hackathon in Cyprus — a programme structurally identical to EUDIS — where the Cyprus team it mentored won first place at the pan-European final. Building on this validated methodology, CIP co-designs the hackathon programme and facilitation model and provides on-site facilitation throughout the 2.5-day event, ensuring a structured participant experience from team formation to final pitching.

CIP further supports participant recruitment through its university and research networks and its role as the official Cyprus intermediary for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme, and contributes to dissemination and to the post-hackathon integration of winning teams into Cyprus’s defence and innovation ecosystem.

Through this partnership, CIP reinforces its commitment to fostering cross-sectoral cooperation in defence and security, space technology, and innovation, and to connecting Cypriot talent with European funding and growth pathways.

[Assumption: the page goes live as a confirmed partnership. CDM’s application is still under DG DEFIS review per the supporting letters — if you publish before the award, change “is led by C.D. Multimedia Services, with Citizens in Power (CIP) joining as co-host” to “for which C.D. Multimedia Services is bidding to be Local Organiser, with Citizens in Power (CIP) as co-host”.] I can also give you a Greek version if you need it for the EL site.

https://www.euspa.europa.eu/cassinichallenges