Pillar Iii: European Citizens' Hackathon Championship

Proposals will deliver on the impact of “Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Upscaling knowledge valorisation capacities and activities”. Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Hundreds of innovative solutions resulting from the co-creation in transdisciplinary teams of researchers and citizens, supported through mentoring, business and technical advice and training to enter the market;
• Upgraded skills for innovation and entrepreneurship among researchers and citizens across Europe, promoting business mindsets and contributing to new business startups that are given exposure and opportunities to grow at European level;
• Increased awareness of societal challenges and R&I for new solutions to address them;
• Increased trust in science and broader use of participatory and citizen engagement approaches to create value for market and society.

This topic focuses on connecting R&I with citizens and other stakeholders in order to upscale knowledge valorisation, while also contributing to increased trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs, expectations and values.

It aims to accelerate knowledge valorisation through citizen engagement by driving the co-creation of innovative solutions that address citizens' needs, in joint teams of researchers and citizens, thereby supporting their market uptake.

The topic will enable researchers and citizens from across Europe to work together in transnational, transdisciplinary teams to address societal challenges through existing research results and to create new businesses to bring their innovative solutions to market. Municipalities, regional and city councils, research organisations, business and innovation centres, and other entities are invited to jointly implement, for three consecutive years (2027-2029), an annual, year-long competition, the “European Citizens’ Hackathon Championship”, with impact at local, regional and European level.

Each annual competition will consist of a first-phase of hackathons taking place as physical meetings in several locations (cities and communities) across Europe, addressing issues that affect people’s lives. The detailed programme of activities, including the theme of the first annual competition, must be delivered within 3 months of start of the grant agreement and be approved by the granting authority. Subsequent themes will be agreed with the granting authority at the latest in month 14 and 26 of the action.

The winning teams of these first-phase hackathons will then compete at the European level for the title of European Champion. The total financial award of EUR 60 000 per year will be shared equally among the three winning teams of each annual competition.

The final event should also engage broad groups of stakeholders, including citizens, researchers, industry, public authorities, investors, and business developers.

Proposals should describe the plan for rolling out the competition over three consecutive years and supporting winning teams in the uptake of their solutions.

The three cities hosting the yearly European-level hackathons should be members or associated partners of the consortium. The first-phase hackathons should take place in at least 14 physical locations across Europe and be open to participating teams from all Member States and Associated Countries.

Wherever possible, synergies should be sought with other programmes such as “Science comes to town”, the European Researchers’ Night, the New European Bauhaus Festival, and others at every step of the championship.

Physical and digital accessibility should be ensured in all phases of the championship. Particular attention should be paid to promoting inclusive gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges, where relevant.

Expected project duration is up to 4 years without prejudice to a longer duration if justified.