Copenhagen Defense Tech Hackathon - Driving Innovation and Talent in Defence Technology
The event resulted in 19 unique and innovative projects addressing real-world defence related challenges, including some identified by the Ukrainian defence cluster, Brave1.
The Copenhagen Defence Tech Hackathon was organized by the European Defense Tech Hub and received strong support from sponsors and both public and private organisations, highlighting it as a unique opportunity to identify and recruit top talent. Besides fostering innovation, the event serves as a talent pool, where companies can connect with highly skilled individuals capable of addressing real-world problems. Among the central event partners were the German-based software developer Helsing and the Danish investment fund EIFO whose contribution helped make the hackathon a reality.
The defence hackathon exemplifies that Copenhagen and DTU has a strong international reputation. This status continues to attract talent from across Europe, drawn by the opportunities to engage directly with the Danish community of engineers. Furthermore, the hackathon provides an unique occasion for technical and engineering talents to have important conversations with procurers and end-users, which is necessary to understand the special considerations within the defence industry, where technical advancements are happening at a staggering pace.
There were many exiting and creative projects presented at the event, which made it difficult for the judges to choose the best team. The project winner was “Fight or Flight” - a UAV identification protocol, founded by Benjamin Gurini, Khrystyna Rozhenko, Moritz Holz, and Martin Kistler.
This project was chosen because it addresses a significant challenge in drone warfare. Alarmingly, a large portion of drones shot down by Ukrainian forces are their own due to the lack of a reliable way to distinguish friend from foe. The team developed a simple cryptographic protocol that is not easy to spoof by the enemy, doesn’t broadcast the position unnecessarily and is easy to implement using existing hardware.
The Danish government has recently announced its largest-ever investments in national defence, which will spark rapid growth for domestic dual-use and defence companies, as well as dual-use-focused start-ups. Now is the time to explore opportunities in Denmark and engage with a vibrant and expanding ecosystem, as demonstrated by the Copenhagen Defence Tech Hackathon, where new young talent is eager to tackle the major international challenges of our time.