The EUDIS Hackathon, an initiative promoted by the European Defense Fund as part of the EU Defense Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) and organized by Fondazione E. Amaldi, returns to Italy. The event is sponsored by Unione Industriali Torino, ITS Aerospazio/Meccatronica, and Federazione Aziende Italiane per l'Aerospazio, la Difesa e la Sicurezza (AIAD).
The latest edition, titled “Defense for Space”, will be held in Turin from October 17 to 19, in hybrid mode (with the option of participating in person or online), simultaneously with seven other local hackathons in Europe.
The aim of the competition is to activate an open innovation platform to address key challenges in the space and defense sectors using dual-use technologies, involving start-ups, SMEs, students, researchers, and innovators from across Europe.
A real-life challenge
The central theme of the 2025 edition concerns the strategic role of space in European security and defense, exploring what defense can do to protect space, and what space can do to support defense. The hackathon brings together participants with different skills and backgrounds to work in teams and develop technological solutions applicable to real-world scenarios.
During the three days of the event, participants will have the opportunity to meet with industry experts, access in-depth content, receive mentorship, and present their projects to a jury of experts.
Participants can choose one of three official challenges:
Protection of space assets: detect, analyse and counter threats in space
Space for defence: Earth observation, navigation, communication, and coordination of multi-domain military operations
Sovereign aerospace: unmanned aerial vehicles, management, production, and countermeasures
The organizers offer a total prize pool of €5,000 for the winners of the hackathon.
How to join the event
The hackathon is open to students, professionals, start-ups, SMEs, and researchers who are citizens or residents of one of the countries of the European Union, Norway, or Ukraine, provided they are of legal age (18+).
No coding experience is required: all you need is an idea or technology and the willingness to put it to the test.
Online registration to participate will close on Friday, October 10.
