Help Bratislava address climate change - sign up for Climathon Bratislava 2023, the biggest city hackathon
19. 09. 2023
Bratislava, 19 September 2023 - Bratislava residents experienced the intense effects of climate change in June this year. Torrential rains, when excessive amounts of precipitation fall in a short time, caused flooding and traffic delays. Weather conditions like this will become more and more frequent. At Climathon, we encourage active people to work in teams to create innovative technological solutions that will help mitigate the impacts of climate change and improve our lives in Bratislava. Climathon Bratislava will take place over the weekend of 20-22 October and the best teams will share a total prize of €10,000. The event is organised by the city, together with Civitta innovation consultancy and principal partners Swiss Re and IBL Software Engineering.
Bratislava is joining in this international activity for the fourth time. Climathon, which brings together nearly seventy world capitals, aims to find concrete solutions to the challenges caused by climate change.
What is Bratislava's vision?
"Climathon helps us engage and mobilise active people who can contribute to better equip the city for the future. It also helps us strengthen our focus on the needs of residents as well as the quality of life in the city," explains Petra Dzurovčinová, Bratislava Innovation Commissioner. Bratislava's vision is to be a city that is focused on the needs of its residents, as well as being sustainable, and resilient to the impacts of climate change.
As Lukáš Csóka, Head Data Science at SwissRe Bratislava adds: "The preliminary estimate of the economic loss caused by global natural disasters for the first half of this year is $120 billion, the highest amount since 2011. Now, more than ever, we need to address these issues. This year, every citizen has experienced how extreme weather can disrupt life in a city. We have long viewed Climathon as an opportunity to help Bratislava get practical solutions to its challenges."
Why data are important
The teams will have exclusive access to live city data as well as quality data from partners during the event only. Reliable data are essential for the rapid development of functional and effective solutions.
"Our company recognises the importance of high-quality data in finding solutions to tackle climate change. This is why we are supporting Climathon for the second time. We believe we can contribute to this global initiative by enabling people to come together, share their knowledge or ideas and find innovative solutions together," says Michal Weis, Chief Executive Officer, IBL Software Engineering.
Who can join Climathon and where will it take place
Climathon is open to idea-makers, students of all backgrounds, as well as experts, programmers, and UI/UX designers. Participants will be able to discuss their solutions with experienced experts and mentors in the areas of climate protection, data analytics or local government management "Everyone can join Climathon. What is important is the willingness to work on innovative ideas and solutions. In our experience, the most innovative solutions are created when people from different backgrounds work together," says Eva Šimeková from Civitta. Applicants can register as teams, but also as individuals who can find their team before the event or at the event, consisting of two to five members. The final part of the weekend will be devoted to presentations of ideas that will compete for financial prizes worth €10,000. The winning teams can then develop their ideas further in collaboration with the city and other experts. The event will take place on the modern premises of the largest co-working space in Slovakia - The Spot.
You can apply via Climathon Bratislava ↗︎
What is the global Climathon initiative? Climathon is a global event with more than seventy cities from all over the world involved. Its aim is to raise awareness and actively address climate change and build a sustainable world together. Climathon events around the world are covered by the EIT Climate KIC and EIT Urban Mobility. The EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) is an EU initiative that promotes innovation, research and education in a variety of sectors across Europe. The EIT Climate KIC helps to develop and deploy innovative solutions for climate or green technologies, and the EIT Urban Mobility promotes innovations for urban mobility to improve living conditions in cities. EIT Urban Mobility is represented in Slovakia by Civitta, an innovation consultancy company that has a long history of supporting innovative companies in Slovakia and helping them succeed globally.