Abu Dhabi, UAE: 18 January 2026 – ADNEC Group, a Modon company, in collaboration with EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups, and the and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be hosting coding and cybersecurity challenges at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX) and Simulation and Training Exhibition (SimTEX). UMEX and SimTEX 2026 is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs, and Chairman of the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council.
Taking place at the UAE MoD stand from 20 – 22 January at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, the challenges highlight the MoD’s and EDGE’s commitment to providing platforms that accelerate and celebrate Emirati talent.
For the coding challenge, UAE nationals can register at the MoD stand and have their programming skills put to the test in fast-paced coding sessions designed to challenge participants of all experience levels.
A competitive cybersecurity challenge will be run in parallel, offering participants a chance to test their skills in realistic penetration scenarios, including a capture the flag competition, real-world cyber-attack and defence scenarios, and ethical hacking, penetration testing, and vulnerability analysis.
The challenges seek to strengthen national security readiness and support the UAE’s knowledge-based economy through enhancing the skills of the next generation of Emirati coders, programmers, cybersecurity specialists, and engineers. Aligned with the UAE government’s ‘The Principles of the 50’, emphasising that human capital and highly skilled national capabilities are key drivers of future growth, the challenges also represent the growing partnership between EDGE and the MoD, aimed at rapidly developing the UAE’s defence industry through investing in highly-skilled talent.
UAE nationals interested in participating in the cyber challenge are encouraged to inquire via: modchallenge@edgegroup.ae.
