It is expected that around 70 participants from Latvia and the Baltic countries will participate in the event, and the innovation process will be supported by 20 mentors, including from the National Armed Forces, who will provide interdisciplinary support in solving problems.
As previously reported by LSM, the European Commission, within the framework of the Defence Innovation Programme (EUDIS), has selected Latvia as one of eight countries to organize this year’s defence industry hackathon, granting the right to organize the hackathon to the Science and Innovation Centre of Rīga Technical University.
The hackathon will take place simultaneously in seven other countries in May: Spain, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark and the Czech Republic, bringing together defence industry innovators from the European Union and Ukraine to develop innovative hardware and software solutions that are adaptable to Ukraine’s needs.
For the second year, the European Commission is offering European Union innovators the opportunity to apply for co-financing under the Defence Innovation Programme, established under the auspices of the European Defence Fund (EDF) to promote defence innovation in the European Union. The programme offers a toolkit for small and medium-sized enterprises, including start-ups and other non-traditional actors in the defence industrial ecosystem, to ensure wider access to the European Defence Fund.
The European Commission has set three defence priorities for the 2025 hackathon: 1) tactical surveillance systems; 2) cost-effective combat protection equipment; 3) improved military medical assistance.
Winning teams will receive cash prizes from the overall prize pool, access to mentoring and networking opportunities with industry leaders and defence experts, as well as the opportunity to further develop their ideas into real prototypes and products.
Information on registering for the event is available at: https://taikai.network/ eudisLATVIA/hackathons/EUDIS- LATVIA.
Support for the organization of the hackathon is provided by the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, the State Border Guard, SIA Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, SIA BELSS, Rēzekne Academy of Technologies, Unilab, Manabalss.lv, the Latvian Federation of Security and Defense Industries, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tilde, Gorgon Optronics, Hidrolab, Baltic Photonics, Latgale Planning Region, Latgale Special Economic Zone, Rēzekne Special Economic Zone and other major companies and representatives of the defense industry in Latvia and the Latgale region.