Already this week, on December 10 – 12, the first international online hackathon, organized by Rail Baltica global project coordinator, will take place with the aim to encourage new and innovative ideas and wider society involvement. Hackathon will bring together online more than 100 participants from the Baltics and Europe, working actively for 48 hours in teams (3-8 people) to jointly develop innovative and practical solutions in one of the three Rail Baltica thematic blocks: Connectivity, Sustainability Sustainability) and Local Communities. Further applications and more information is available at eventornado.com/event/rail-baltica-hackathon
Applications for the hackathon are still open until December 10, and innovators, creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, developers, NGOs and the general public, academics and students, infrastructure and mobility experts, as well as design, product, and marketing experts are invited to join the initiative to offer their vision on how to provide additional added value from the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in the Baltic region, at national and local level. Participation does not require previous experience, but a creative and practical idea.
Rail Baltica hackathon program
On the afternoon of Friday, December 10, the teams will begin work on their ideas and solutions. In this process, they will be supported by team mentors from all the Baltic States, who will provide practical and organizational support for the smooth running of the 48-hour work, as well as expert mentors from Rail Baltica project organizations, public, academic, and private, to advise teams and share experiences. specific issues related to the solution, based on the knowledge and experience of mentors.
The second day of the hackathon will be the busiest, because it is during this time that the most active work will be done to develop solutions, with teams participating in various checkpoints and discussing processes, correcting mistakes, and improving their solutions. This is also a time when teams work closely with mentors to get as much useful information as possible that can help in the further processes to achieve a successful outcome.
Idea pitch presentation and awarding
On Sunday afternoon, December 12, the teams will present their solutions in one of three thematical blocks: connectivity, environmental sustainability, and community involvement. During the presentations, the authors of the ideas will talk about the ideas, the solutions created and their further purpose and benefits, putting them into practical use within the Rail Baltica project.
It is also planned to award the best ideas in this hackathon. The winners of the € 9,000 prize pool will be determined by an international jury made up of representatives from both the Rail Baltica project implementing organizations and the start-up ecosystem and other industry experts. The jury will evaluate the teams according to various criteria, including the originality of the product, process or service, the potential impact of the idea and other important factors, both in the solution itself and in the teamwork throughout the hackathon.
To find out more about the goals of the hackathon, the next steps and other issues, the organizers invite everybody to join the live broadcast of the opening event on December 10 at 17.00 (EET), which will take place online on the Rail Baltica’s global project Facebook platform, as well as on the news portal Delfi.
The application for participation in the hackathon is still open and anyone interested can register and submit their idea or apply without having an idea by joining an already formed team instead.
Further applications and more information is available at eventornado.com/event/rail-baltica-hackathon