COMMON MISSION PROJECT EXPANDS HACKING FOR DEFENSE PROGRAMME INTO CONTINENTAL EUROPE WITH LAUNCH IN GERMANY

The University of the Bundeswehr Munich becomes the first in continental Europe to deliver the Hacking for Defense course, tackling defense challenges at startup speed.

LONDON, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Common Mission Project, a registered charity, is pleased to announce the expansion of the global Hacking for Defense (H4D) academic programme in partnership with the University of the Bundeswehr (UniBwM) in Munich, Germany, starting this April.

H4D is a 10-year-old global programme, delivered in the US, UK, and Australia, transforming the way defense and national security challenges are addressed and developing the next generation as innovation leaders.

The new course at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich will be the first Hacking for Defense course in continental Europe. Professor Karl-Heinz Renner, Vice President for Teaching and Stakeholder Relations, is spearheading the first UniBwM cohort as a strategic university initiative. Three teams of four highly motivated Master's-level students will be specially selected from across the university to participate.

Over the course of 11 weeks, they will address real-world defense and security challenges aligned with German national priorities and broader European resilience objectives. The course integrates structured stakeholder interviews, experimentation, insight synthesis, and iterative solution development at the pace of a startup.

H4D started in 2016 at Stanford University to directly connect the hardest problems in the US Department of Defense and intelligence community with the brightest university talent. The class teaches teams of university students how to solve critical national security challenges using the same modern innovation tools and methods that winning startups use, such as the Lean Startup methodology.

To date, H4D has been taught in 69 universities in the U.S., 28 in the UK, and 2 in Australia. More than 4,800 students have taken the class, addressing 1,400 defense challenges such as safely evacuating downed pilots under fire, developing applications to track and manage mass casualties in the field, and predicting and preventing cyber threats, during 10-week sprints. Globally, H4D has spun out 80 startups from the student teams, raising over $200m in capital. 

"This is Europe demonstrating the importance of the next generation in security, defense, and resilience with a war on its Eastern front. We are committed to supporting Europe's investment in this generation with the impact of H4D at UniBwM. This signals the beginning of something larger, both for Germany and for the wider European defense ecosystem," said CMP Co-Founder and Chair of the Board, Dr. Alison Hawks. She noted the educators' course held earlier this month to kick off the programme concluded as the Munich Security Conference began, a symbolic moment given the programme's focus on defense and security innovation.

Professor Karl-Heinz Renner added, "Hacking for Defense is a strategic priority of our University of the Bundeswehr Munich. It perfectly aligns with our vision and commitment to forward-looking education, research, and innovation in support of a resilient society and a strong, self-defending democracy."

About CMP: Since launching in the UK in 2019, CMP has built a national footprint across 28 universities in 10 regions, engaging more than 1,400 students and exploring over 300 live government challenges. Visit https://www.commonmission.uk/ to learn more.

About UniBwM: Founded in 1973, the University of the Bundeswehr Munich (UniBwM) is a scientifically innovative campus university with a unique combination of academic education and cutting-edge research on security-relevant topics and other socially relevant disciplines. Free in research and teaching, it competes with state universities. At the same time, for over 50 years it has been the academic home of the Bundeswehr's future military leaders – with a deep understanding of the institution of the Bundeswehr.

Media contact:
Jordan Kirkwood, Director of Programmes, CMP.
+447789535602
[email protected]

SOURCE Common Mission Project