Bucharest is set to become a hub for European defense innovation with the EUDIS hackathon, which will take place from March 26 to 28

Between March 26 and 28, 2026, Bucharest will be one of eight locations in Europe hosting the fourth edition of the EUDIS Defense Hackathon. The event in Romania is organized by the Romanian Association of Technology Startups (ROTSA) and will take place at the headquarters of the “Elie Carafoli” National Institute for Aerospace Research and Development (INCAS), BalkanEngineer.com learned from Romania-Insider.com.

The main theme of this year’s edition is “Defending Airspace.” Participants will face three main challenges: creating cost-effective drone interceptors, developing next-generation drone detection systems, and improving human-machine interaction in operations against unmanned aerial vehicles. The total prize pool for the Romanian edition is 20,000 euro, divided into 10,000 euro in cash and 10,000 euro in the form of mentoring and solution scaling services.

The project is aimed at students, researchers, engineers, and startups in the fields of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and aerospace engineering. Registration is open until March 20, 2026.

The winners will receive cash prizes and will have the opportunity to participate in a 40-hour mentoring program designed to help them present their projects to representatives of EU member states and leading industry experts.

Photo source: eudis-hackathon, ©Engineer BG via Canva.com