Meet the winners of the 6th edition of the European Defence Challenge
Originally launched under the ASSETs+ project (2020-2023), the European Defence Challenge has continued under the coordination of Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and will carry on in its forthcoming editions within the framework of the Skills4ADC+ project.
The 6th edition of the European Defence Challenge, hosted by Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Rzeszów University of Technology, challenged participants to explore the theme “From STEM to Strategy: Empowering Young Minds to Shape Europe’s Aerospace & Defence Future.”
Bringing together talented students from across Europe, the competition showcased innovative ideas aimed at strengthening the future of the European defence and aerospace ecosystem.
The winners were announced during the official awards ceremony held on 5 June 2026 at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. Download the agenda here.
FIRST POSITION:
Patrycja Paleń and Maciej Dec, from Rzeszow University of Technology (Poland) with the proposal “Strategic Defence Talent Academy: An Intelligent Educational Ecosystem Integrating STEM, Real Defence Challenges and Workforce Planning for Europe”
SECOND POSITION:
Alix Raynaud de Lage and Anna Paszek, from Sciences Po Lille (France) with the proposal “A Defense Erasmus: one year, three perspectives, one European defense”.
THIRD POSITION:
Clémence Menard and Hadrien Matignon, from Sciences Po Lille (France) with the proposal “Orbital Europe – spreading european strategic culture at all levels”.
You can download their proposals here.
Congratulations to all the winning teams!
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the hosts of this edition, speakers, evaluators, and contributors whose dedication and expertise made this event possible. Your support has been instrumental in the success of this 6th edition.
Finally, thank you to all participants for sharing your ideas, talent, and vision with the European defence innovation community.
We look forward to seeing you in the next edition. Stay tuned!
