Brave1 held Precision hackathon to find precise solutions to defeat the enemy.

On 26-29 July, the Precision hackathon was held to create technological solutions that will help the Security and Defence Forces perform operations with increased accuracy, efficiency and minimal losses.

The event brought together more than 400 innovators, as well as more than 500 representatives of government agencies, the Security and Defence Forces, manufacturing companies, businesses, investment funds and other participants in the defence innovation ecosystem.

The first day of the hackathon began with a large-scale conference covering such topics as the role of technology in modern warfare, the use of technological solutions at the front, the development of the Ukrainian defence tech industry, procurement of defence innovations for the army, and attracting investment in the development of defence tech solutions.

Representatives of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Strategic Industries spoke about the specifics of the state policy on the development of defence tech, while a representative of the General Staff and the military, who use technological solutions on the front line, focused on the real technological needs of the Armed Forces.

During the discussion of the development of the defence tech industry, Ukrainian developers spoke about the formation of potent markets in the areas of UAVs, ground robotic systems and electronic warfare, as well as the increasingly high quality of solutions that are constantly tested in combat conditions. A special focus of the conversation was the growing role of AI in defence innovation, especially in UAV and robot navigation, as well as in weapon systems.

As part of the discussion on defence procurement, the leadership of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, the Defence Procurement Agency, Prozorro, the Kyiv Defence Association and the Come Back Alive Foundation stressed that technological solutions had now become a procurement priority and would only grow in importance.

In addition, representatives of Ukrainian and foreign investment funds spoke about their experience of investing in the Ukrainian defence tech industry, and Ukrainian developers who have already attracted investments gave advice on how to pitch their solutions.

"Our task in the technology war is to constantly generate innovations, be open, look for quick solutions and be a few steps ahead. Events such as the Precision hackathon are the quintessence of this, as they bring together the best engineers from different parts of Ukraine around a common goal - Ukraine's victory. I am confident that the constant search for the best solutions will definitely allow us to create the next game changer of this war, giving us an advantage on the battlefield," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development - Minister of Digital Transformation.

Over the course of the second and third days of the hackathon, more than 60 Ukrainian teams developed solutions in the following areas: advanced guidance systems; sensor fusion and data analysis; smart munitions; simulators and training software; autonomous and semi-autonomous systems; and network-centric warfare.

The teams were assisted by professional mentors, including military officers, scientists, and defence technology experts, in developing their solutions. The participants' projects were evaluated by a professional jury consisting of representatives of the General Staff, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Strategic Industries, military personnel, engineers, scientists, investors, business and NGOs.

48 teams pitched their projects to the jury. Based on the results of the evaluation, 12 teams became the finalists of the hackathon. They received a cash prize that could be used for further development of the presented solution. On the fourth day of the hackathon, the participants with high-readiness prototypes could test their solutions at the testing ground.

"At a time when the enemy outnumbers us in terms of forces and means, it is critical to use the available resources efficiently. The key to this is to increase the accuracy of the destruction through the use of the latest technologies. Together with the teams that have proven themselves best at the hackathon, we will work to accelerate the development of solutions so that the military can get ready-made solutions as soon as possible and start using them against the enemy," said Natalia Kushnerska, head of the Brave1 cluster.

The hackathon was organised by the Brave1 defence tech cluster with the support of the Defence Builder defence innovation accelerator, D3 investment fund, Uklon, Kyiv School of Economics, CEO Club Ukraine and TAF Drones.