Regional Student Competitions and inter-regional Hackathons on Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Supporting KIC's
Domain: Domain 3 – Contributing to developing innovations and businesses, Domain 2 – Strengthening partnerships (knowledge triangle integration), Domain 1 – Fostering institutional engagement and change.
Action: Develop structures, conditions and incentives for people to create or develop their businesses and start-ups
Objectives
The DIN-ECO partnership, having as an objective the enhancement of the scale and scope of student engagement activities in entrepreneurship and innovation, organized 2 annual competitions to award the best business proposals focusing on the specific areas of digital technologies, digital health and manufacturing, prepared by groups of students from different disciplines.
Activities
In the course of Phase 1 and Phase 2a of the project, two (2) hackathons have been organised and implemented with the participation of students from the countries of participating universities, i.e. Greece, Poland, Turkey, Denmark, Serbia and Italy. The organisation of the 2 competitions and following Hackathons attracted the innovation capital and ideas of more than 350 HEI students in five (5) countries in all three different verticals of Digital Technologies, Digital Health and Manufacturing.
The 1st DIN-ECO Hackathon took place on December 16 2022. It was an online one-day event with the participation of university students from 5 different countries and all partners. An agenda for the event was developed and circulated to participants and Jury Members prior to the event. The Hackathon was the last step of the Innovation Competition call that was launched to amass and evaluate the best ideas in the identified thematics. The DIN-ECO innovation competition attracted high interest from the young cohort of future pioneers, and inventors. Totally, 235 students participated in the competition with 73 innovative ideas. The Digital technologies sector was the main area of interest of the Competition, gathering 46% of the submitted ideas, followed by Manufacturing. The DIN-ECO HEIs selected the following 30 innovative ideas, engaging 99 students to compete in the DIN-ECO Digital Hackathon.
The 2nd Hackathon on December 19 2023. First, the 2nd Innovation Competition Call was launched addressed to university students. In total 30 teams with a total of 116 students participating in the Innovation Competition and 11 finalists participated in the 2nd Hackathon.  A new element introduced in this Competition was that students were asked to match their proposal ideas to specific case studies provided under each Thematic. Another new element introduced in the 2nd Hackathon was the involvement of businesses and the introduction of real business cases. As such, students had to respond and match their ideas to address specific real business cases and to directly pitch their ideas to an audience of market representatives.
Methodological Approach
- Launch of the DIN-ECO Competition Call of proposals
A call of proposals was launched in the DIN-ECO website and communicated to the participating universities for expressions of interest from students.
The Call of proposals presented:
- The thematics and case studies for the Competition and Hackathons.
Digital Technologies
In the era of digital transformation and disruption, emerging technologies are the core enabler of developing new products, services and processes that can improve our everyday lives. Therefore, this vertical focuses on digital solutions that utilize modern and advanced digital technologies, like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Big Data, AR/VR, Internet of Things etc, in a novel way that produces value for the end-users.
Digital Health
The Digital Health vertical focuses on technology-enabled products and services that can enhance and optimise research and development, drug discovery, and clinical trials; improve and personalize health care delivery and the treatment experience; support disease prevention; and promote health literacy and awareness.
Manufacturing
Proposals in the Manufacturing field can include innovative solutions in product development and quality, industrial automations, production and maintenance optimization, manufacturing operations, production lines performance, supply chain visibility, efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability.
Case studies
Digital Technologies
Case Study 1.
AI for Smart City Solutions
Imagine a city that wants to become “smarter” by implementing various digital technologies to enhance urban living. Develop a business idea for a startup or a project that offers innovative solutions for smart transportation, waste management, energy efficiency or citizen engagement.
Case Study 2:
Remote Work Solutions
In light of the changing work landscape, develop a business idea for a digital platform or service that improves remote work experiences. This could involve virtual collaboration tools, digital productivity solutions, or mental health support services for remote workers.
Case Study 3: Tech Sustainability is a significant concern in the fashion industry. Create a business idea for a digital fashion tech startup that promotes sustainable practices, such as clothing recycling, eco-friendly materials, or supply chain transparency.
Digital Health
Case Study 1: AI for Medication Management
With medication non-adherence being a common issue, you are challenged to develop a business idea for a digital tool that helps patients manage their medications effectively. This tool can offer medication reminders, refill notifications, and medication interaction alerts.
Case Study 2: Device Support for disabilities
Propose a business idea for a device that will reset totally or partially the barriers of disability. Develop a support that could improve digital health and wellness. This could include wearable tech, health monitoring apps, or telehealth solutions.
Case Study 3: Patient Remote Monitoring Platform
You are challenged to develop a business concept for a remote patient monitoring platform that allows healthcare providers to remotely track patients’ vital signs and health data. This platform could enhance patient care, reduce hospital visits, and improve health outcomes.
Digital Manufacturing
Case Study 1: AI for Manufacturing
Imagine a company that focuses on transforming traditional factories into smart, automated manufacturing facilities. You can propose a business concept idea that integrates IoT devices, robotics, and data analytics to optimize production processes
Case Study 2:
Customized 3D Printing solution. You are encouraged to create a business idea for a 3D printing solution that offers customized and on-demand manufacturing products. This could involve producing personalized consumer products, replacement parts, or prototypes for businesses.
Case Study 3:
Sustainable Materials Manufacturing You are challenged to develop a business concept for a manufacturing company that specializes in producing sustainable materials for construction, packaging, or other industries. This could involve eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials or the recycling of waste materials into valuable resources.
- Who is eligible to participate: the Competition was open to HEI students working in teams or individually (1st Competition), in teams of maximum 5 students (2nd Competition)
- How they can participate: An online submission form was developed and linked to the Call of proposals
- How and by whom the proposals will be evaluated
The Evaluation criteria:
- Relevance and Eligibility: Is the solution in line with the competition topics (digital health, digital technologies, manufacturing) and eligible for the competition?
- Innovation: Is the solution innovative, addressing an actual and pressing problem / challenge?
- Impact: Does the solution bring value to its target group and the industry in general?
- Feasibility: Is the solution technologically and operationally feasible? Does it demand a lot of resources and dependencies?
- Team Skillset: Is the team multidisciplinary and placed in essential roles
- Viability: Can the business solution and model be sustainable? Can it achieve high growth rates
- Presentation & Pitch: What was the overall pitching performance? Did it include all the necessary information? Was their narrative clear and compelling?
- Evaluation Board:Judges hold a strong professional and/or academic background and expertise in the field of Digital Technologies, Digital Health, or Manufacturing as well as an active interest in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. They included academics, researchers and staff from the DIN-ECO consortium universities as well as experts from the wider regional ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- The DIN-ECO Competition evaluation and awards
The best business ideas in each competition were asked to participate in the DIN-ECO Hackathons, 1st and 2nd respectively. Students were informed via email about their participation in the Hackathon.
- Mentoring and support
After they have been selected and prior to the Hackathons, the finalist teams had the opportunity to receive mentoring and support and adapt their business proposals and to shape and fine tune the business idea, and prepare their pitching presentation.
They had the support of mentors with expertise in the three themes of the Competition. For this purpose, mentoring guidelines have been provided to support a uniform and streamlined mentoring provision. Also, a mentoring schedule was divised where students could ask for a mentoring session on a first come first served basis.
- Hackathon Day
Pitching sessions and awards
The pitching sessions were divided in the three verticals. Student teams had 5 minutes to present their idea and additional 5 minutes were given for questions from the Jury. During the Hackathon, a scorecard was provided to all Jury Members to enter their marks.
To assist them with their pitching, a pitching template was distributed to them prior to the Hackathon.
Student winning Ideas (1st and 2nd Hackathon)
Digital Technologies
- Microplastic Analyzer and Locator for Automatic Collection at Sea”, promoted by from Aalborg University in Denmark
- Intermover promoted by students in University of Bologna, Italy
- The Online Bespoke Creations Platform, promoted by students from MSKU in Turkey
Digital Health
– ROXARM – Affordable Robotic Prosthetic Arm, promoted by students from Aalborg University in Denmark
– Anti-atrophy knee orthosis, promoted by students from the University of Nis in Serbia
– Improving the 3D design of plate implants by implementing SubD surfaces”, promoted by students from the University of Nis in Serbia
Digital Manufacturing
- Mirror the Future, promoted by students from Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland
Context
The overarching aim of this best practice was to promote the engagement of HEI students in entrepreneurship and innovation activities and to address the need for increase of HEI-business connection bringing students closer to the business world.
Audiences
The main beneficiaries of this practice included students and researchers of the 6 participating HEIs. Their needs mainly involved:
a) formulating and presenting their digital innovation ideas,
b) testing their ideas in term of theoretical grounding and practical implementation,
c) getting feedback for re-designing them,
d) receiving support and mentorship on their business development, and
e) exercising on pitching their ideas on an open audience.
Key outcomes
The main outcomes of this action included:
- 2 competition calls for Digital Innovation Business Ideas, implemented at regional level (per HEI)
- 2 hackathons for Digital Innovation Startups, implemented at inter-regional level
- 350 students from six (6) different countries (Greece, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Turkey, Serbia) participated in Regional Student Competitions
- 99 students in the 1st hackathon
- 45 students in the 2nd hackathon
- students of both hackathons received mentorship
The key learning benefits involved:
- During competitions, the students received training on business idea preparation and business model development,
- During hackathons, the students had the opportunity to receive mentoring and support and adapt their business proposals and to shape and fine tune the business idea, and prepare their pitching presentation.
- Students had the chance to receive significant feedback from academic staff and business experts from the 9 DIN-ECO partners.
- Students were supported for pitching their ideas in a wide audience.
- Students also had the opportunity to acquaint with new startup ideas that were invited and presented in the hackathons.
Key success factors / How to replicate / Sustainability mechanism
The main outcomes of this action included:
- 2 competition calls for Digital Innovation Business Ideas, implemented at regional level (per HEI)
- 2 hackathons for Digital Innovation Startups, implemented at inter-regional level
- 350 students from six (6) different countries (Greece, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Turkey, Serbia) participated in Regional Student Competitions
- 99 students in the 1st hackathon
- 45 students in the 2nd hackathon
- students of both hackathons received mentorship
The key learning benefits involved:
- During competitions, the students received training on business idea preparation and business model development,
- During hackathons, the students had the opportunity to receive mentoring and support and adapt their business proposals and to shape and fine tune the business idea, and prepare their pitching presentation.
- Students had the chance to receive significant feedback from academic staff and business experts from the 9 DIN-ECO partners.
- Students were supported for pitching their ideas in a wide audience.
- Students also had the opportunity to acquaint with new startup ideas that were invited and presented in the hackathons.
- Replication recommendations:
- Have a clear and feasible methodology: Define specific objectives, prepare the methodology and the action plan focusing on enhancing student engagement in specific thematic areas of interest.
- Foster Transnational Collaboration: Establish partnerships with universities from different countries to enable multi-country participation, fostering diversity and innovation.
- Establish Evaluation Criteria:Develop an evaluation methodology to ensure fairness and quality in selecting winning proposals, considering factors like innovation, impact, feasibility, and viability.
- Engage Business Partners: Collaborate with business partners to provide real business cases fostering practical relevance and potential industry partnerships.
- Provide Mentorship and Support:Offer mentorship and support to finalist teams, providing guidance in refining proposals and preparing effective pitching presentations.
- Offer Clear Pitching Guidelines: Distribute pitching templates and clear guidelines to participants to ensure consistency and effectiveness in presenting their ideas to the jury.
- Ensure Diverse Jury Representation: Ensure the involvement of judges with diverse backgrounds relevant to the competition themes for comprehensive evaluation and feedback.
- Prioritise Student-Centric Approach: Prioritise the needs of students by offering flexible participation options and support services tailored to their requirements.