From 26 to 28 March 2026, the EUDIS Defence Hackathon took place at Unmanned Valley in Katwijk, as one of eight simultaneous hackathons held across Europe. Over three intensive days, participants tackled the theme of Defending Airspace, addressing challenges surrounding the detection, tracking, and countering of hostile drones.

The hackathon brought together startups, students, researchers, and technology developers alongside experts from defence, industry, and knowledge institutions. Representatives from the Ministry of Defence, TNO, NLR, and InnovationQuarter, among others, shared their knowledge and experience with the participating teams. This direct interaction provided participants with valuable insights into current challenges within the security and defence domain.

The Dutch edition was organised under the leadership of Groundstation.Space and hosted by Unmanned Valley. Thanks to the support of the Province of South Holland through Kansen voor West (ERDF), participants were able to work on innovative solutions for protecting airspace and strengthening European security.

With the EUDIS Defence Hackathon, Unmanned Valley reaffirms its role as a meeting place for innovation, collaboration, and technological development within the unmanned and autonomous sector. The hackathon not only provided space for new ideas but also for establishing valuable connections between startups, knowledge institutions, government, and industry.