The EU Sparks for Climate hackathon was held, and two teams will represent Croatia in the European EU Sparks final.
EU Sparks for Climate Hackathon
The online EU Sparks for Climate Hackathon occurred from May 22 to May 25. In addition to the Croatian event, 22 virtual local hackathons will be held (or have already taken place) from May to June 2024, featuring teams of citizens and researchers from EU member states and 6 associated countries. Two winners are selected for each local hackathon, totaling 44 teams that will continue competing at the European level.
The European EU Sparks for Climate hackathon called on citizens and researchers to collaborate in a virtual race of knowledge and solutions to tackle climate change challenges and support the two missions established by the European Union: the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. You can read more about these goals by following the link, and it’s important to note that the Hackathon is also supported by the European Commission.
Hackathon opening
The EU Sparks for Climate in Croatia was officially opened by Smion’s COO, Dario Zorić, with an introductory lecture, followed by remarks from the Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia, Ms. Andreja Čović Vidović, who highlighted key facts about climate challenges and wished the participants good luck.
Ten teams were selected to tackle various challenges, working on their solutions until the end of the hackathon. Some of the challenges included wildfire prediction and prevention, reducing air pollution in cities, decreasing waste in forests, lakes, and rivers, cutting vehicle emissions, increasing energy efficiency in buildings, addressing heatwaves through innovative public health strategies, building community resilience to extreme heat, and many others.
Facilitators, mentors, and jury
Participants of the hackathon had the opportunity to learn valuable skills for their professional development, with topics covering management, entrepreneurship, sustainability, social impact, user research, and intellectual property.
Facilitators guiding and motivating the competitors throughout the Hackathon were Smion’s Miro Hegedić and Dario Zorić. The expert mentors included Marta Kaprale, Vlad Gliga, Danijel Bertović, and Luka Lugarić, while the jury members were Marcela Verónica Postigo, Raúl Sánchez Francés, Hermes Arriaga Sierra, Dr. Kaspars Ozols, and Domagoj Boljar.
Here’s a highlight from mentor Luka Lugarić’s comment on the EU Sparks for Climate Hackathon:
“To anyone who wants to participate in the hackathon, I would definitely say it’s not mainly about the knowledge. It’s more about being willing to push yourself out there, to present your ideas, and to be able to listen to another person’s point of view.”
Pitching and inspiration
The highlight of the Hackathon was the pitching session, where each team presented the problem and solution they developed during the intense four-day event.
While the jury deliberated, Hjörtur Smárason, Founder & Lead Strategist at Saltworks, gave a motivating talk titled “Adapting to a Changing World.” Among his many inspiring words, one stood out: “The future belongs to those who have the courage to create it!“
Winners – finalists
The two best-selected teams will receive quality mentoring and training to prepare them for competition in the European final alongside 44 teams from across Europe.
The winners of the local hackathon are the teams “Innovative 7” and “Veles Solutions.”
The team Innovative 7 addressed the challenge of heatwaves through a public health strategy during the hackathon. One of the issues identified by the team pertains to bus and tram stops, to provide simple and effective solutions to facilitate daily public transport journeys in the city of Zagreb.
The idea is to establish “smart cool zones” at bus and tram stops to reduce the negative impact of heatwaves on public transport passengers and ensure comfort during extreme summer heat.
The Veles Solutions team focused on addressing the problem of flooding. Climate change is leading to increasingly extreme precipitation events that are impossible to prevent. However, it is possible to mitigate the impact of such rainfall on local communities.
This is a global issue that Veles Solutions tackles by developing a machine learning model that incorporates various parameters to improve predictions of potential flood locations. In this way, the team aims to address the problem of flooding, which claims many lives each year and causes significant material damage to citizens.
On behalf of the entire Smion team, we congratulate the hackathon winners and wish them the best of luck in the European final of the EU Sparks Hackathon, which will take place next month.
There, the teams will present their solutions, and three winning teams will be selected to receive cash prizes (€5,000 for each winning team). Additionally, the teams will receive tailored mentoring, support for fundraising campaigns, access to a network of investors, and assistance in scaling their solutions.
About the Hackathon Organization
In Croatia, this four-day event was organized by Smion, an innovation agency whose mission is to empower entrepreneurs and build innovative ecosystems by providing tools, resources, and support for successful innovation.
The hackathon was conducted with the assistance of organizations such as Barrabes, Energy Cities, EURADA, ECSA, and EUROCROWD to ensure alignment with EU objectives and to provide the necessary support in developing innovative solutions.
In addition to the EU Sparks for Climate hackathon, Smion is involved in numerous other projects and organizes events, workshops, and activities. We are currently working on projects and programs that you can learn more about through the following links:
- Forward to Health Innovation
- EIT Food Hub
- EIT Food EWA
- Green Tech Entrepreneurship Challenge Hub for work-based learning
Do you want to organize a hackathon or a similar event? Feel free to contact us!
