Funke
Anti-Drone Response
Hello people with radical new ideas! We need breakthrough innovation to define a new era of airspace security – intelligent, autonomous, and non-destructive. We need bold ideas. We need you.
Small and micro drones have become part of modern conflicts – and a growing risk to civilian safety. They are fast, low-cost, hard to detect – and often autonomous. Whether in war zones, over stadiums, or at airports: their uses range from surveillance to sabotage. Existing defense systems? Overwhelmed.
The SPRIND Funke Anti-Drone Response
closes this gap and calls for a paradigm shift: What is needed are non-destructive, scalable and fully autonomous defense solutions that reliably detect threats, react quickly and neutralize drones without endangering the surrounding airspace or any third parties. The goal is not the kinetic flight-system destruction but mitigation by means of intelligent effects, diversion, blockade or other reversible measures.
The challenge: To develop a fully autonomous system that can detect, classify, and neutralize small and micro UAVs in real time – without weapons, external communication, or human intervention.
What we're looking for: an adaptive, integrated system that identifies threats, classifies them reliably, and responds with non-kinetic, reversible measures – such as capture, redirection, or blocking. The solution must prove itself in realistic scenarios and offer strong dual-use potential for civil and military contexts.
SPRIND Funke Anti-Drone Response
ended after stage 1
Anti-Drone Responseended after stage 1
The SPRIND Funke program launched on August 15 and was planned to run for a total of almost four months in two stages. SPRIND offered successful teams up to EUR 67,000 and a one-time test setting for the entire duration of the program.
However, following the live demonstrations at the end of the first stage in September 2025, the expert jury decided to end the initiative after the first stage, as the milestones set in stage 1 were not achieved by enough teams to continue.
The theme of the SPRIND Spark, Anti-Drone Response,
remains highly relevant. Even if projects are not always continued in their originally planned form, each phase offers learning opportunities that drive long-term progress. SPRIND supports innovators who are pushing the boundaries of science and technology in further Challenges and Funken.
Teams
Dremian Counter-UAV System
NoctuaNet
Falanx DNET Integrated Drone Response System
Adjustable AirFunnel Defence System
Pixel Lock
Sentrycs
SkyDenex
BIOCAPTURE
Fly4Future
INFINITE MESH
FAQ
Do you have further questions?
Please feel free to contact us at challenge@sprind.org.
More Challenges and Funken
