What is Civil Protection and Crisis Management?
It is the defense of the population against natural and man-made disasters. It encompasses the daily battles against fire, floods, droughts, and medical emergencies—challenges that are becoming more frequent and complex. Our focus is equipping first responders with the modern technology they need to save lives and return home safely.
How does this go together with Critical Infrastructure?
You cannot have a resilient society without resilient systems. Critical infrastructure (power, water, data) is the backbone of civil life. We apply technical methods to ensure these systems can withstand shocks—whether from extreme weather, cyber disruption, or sabotag —without breaking.
Why “Bottom-Up” Innovation?
Innovation in this sector is often stuck in 30-year procurement cycles. We don’t wait for top-down mandates. We connect engineers directly with end-users to build solutions that are affordable, deployable, and ready to use now, not in a decade.
Which Goal Do You Pursue With the Hackathon?
To bring new brainpower into civil resilience. We want you to solve real problems—saving lives and protecting property—rather than optimizing ad clicks or delivery apps. The goal is to produce a prototype that can evolve into a startup or a field-deployable tool.
Is the Hackathon About Networking/Concept Papers or About Creating a Prototype/MVP in a Short Period?
The Hackathons are about building. The Meet-ups and conferences are about getting visibility, founding and testing opportunities for products that should be ready to deploy quickly. There are enough conferences for talking; this is for doing. You will work on real projects. It is the fastest way to test your skills, learn from the field, and potentially find a co-founder.
Do I Need to Be There On-Site for all days of the event?
Yes. You must be on-site from start to finish. We work with hardware and physical prototypes, and the most valuable feedback comes from face-to-face interaction with mentors. There is no remote participation option.
What Are the Mentor Tickets For?
These are for experts in civil protection (firefighters, paramedics, crisis managers) and technical specialists. They are there to give you “reality checks” and ensure what you are building actually works in the field.
Are There Challenges Available, or Can People Bring Their Own Projects?
You can bring your own project, and we’re preparing challenges for folks who are new to defense tech. Those challenges are based on real-world problems sourced from active first responders and relief agencies and informed by experts from Ukraine, EU, and NATO countries.
Do I Need a Team to Join?
If you have a team already in mind, you can hack with them. Team formation will take place at the event, and there will be many opportunities to network and form teams.
What Should I Bring to the Hackathon?
A laptop, a sleeping bag (if staying on-site), and a “get things done” attitude. If you want to work with specific hardware, bring it along (as long as it’s safe to transport).
What Should I Not Bring Along?
As a rule of thumb, if you can’t bring it to the airport, don’t bring it to the hackathon.
What if my background is not in Tech or Civil Protection?
That’s great! The aim of the hackathon is to bring folks from various backgrounds together to solve some of the biggest challenges of our times. The best teams combine diverse skills. Whether you are a designer, a mechanic, or a policy expert, your perspective helps solve complex problems. At the end of the day, the event is to learn more about this space and innovate on the spot; no prior experience is required.
Who Can I Ask if I Have More Questions?
Simply reach out to us via e-mail to mail [at] euciv [dot] com for anything that might be missing from this list. You can also get in touch using the Luma event page.