FORTIFY Norway
FORTIFY Norway
For innovators, startups, researchers and engineers ready to prototype real solutions to Europe’s most pressing defence and security challenges.
EUDIS Defence Hackathon
Autonomy on the Battlefield
15-17 October 2026
The Norwegian edition of the EUDIS Defence Hackathon is hosted by Kjeller Innovasjon and Startuplab as part of the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), funded by the European Defence Fund. Now in its 5th edition, the hackathon runs simultaneously in 8 locations across Europe, bringing together innovators from EU Member States and Norway.
This year’s theme, Autonomy on the Battlefield, focuses on autonomous systems and robotics that can deliver an operational advantage in the air, on land, at sea and in space. Over an intensive weekend, participants work in multidisciplinary teams to prototype solutions, stress-test them against real defence requirements, and get direct feedback from defence end-users and technical mentors. The most promising teams gain visibility across Europe, valuable connections, and the opportunity to take their solution further after the hackathon.
The Challenges?
Teams can choose between three challenges:
- GNSS-Denied Navigation - invites teams building autonomous systems that can navigate and operate effectively without GPS/GNSS, using onboard sensors, quantum sensing and real-time perception.
- Swarm Coordination - invites teams building a multi-agent drone or robot swarm that can collaborate on a mission, such as search and rescue, mapping or target tracking, with minimal human control.
- Situational awareness in the Arctic (Norway’s local challenge) — invites teams which develop solutions that strengthen operational awareness in the High North, anchored in Norway's Long-Term Defence Plan 2025–2036. It feeds directly into EU and allied priorities, run under the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) and aligned with NATO's focus on the region.
Who Can Apply?
The hackathon is open for:
- Startups and scale-ups with dual-use or defence-relevant technology
- Deep-tech teams with advanced R&D or pre-commercial prototypes
- Engineers, developers and hardware/sensor teams, especially relevant to the Situational Awareness in the Arctic challenge
- Students and researchers in engineering, physics, robotics and computer science
- Defence and security professionals and SMEs
- Innovation communities and clusters working on autonomous systems, robotics or related technologies
What You will Gain?
Participants receive:
- Direct access to defence end-users. Pitch your technology to the people who will actually deploy it, and get real operational feedback
- Mentoring from industry, research and defence experts
- The chance to stress-test your prototype against real defence requirements
- Networking with innovators, mentors and decision-makers from across the European defence ecosystem
- Follow-on opportunities: winning teams gain access to mentoring programmes and visibility across the wider European EUDIS network
Why Participate?
The security environment in Europe has fundamentally changed. What is happening in Ukraine is a reminder that technological sovereignty is not abstract, it is urgent.
- Put your capabilities in service of European and Norwegian security, and be part of the innovation ecosystem shaping that future
- Win locally, and your solution gains visibility across a European network of innovators, institutions and decision-makers looking for the next generation of deployable technology
- Explore future funding, pilot and collaboration opportunities beyond the hackathon
©2026 - FORTIFY Norway driftes av Kjeller Innovasjon og Startuplab