Ocean Hackathon: for all your challenges!

A project linked to users of the sea? Need some expertise for an application relating to the maritime world? The Ocean Hackathon event may fit the bill. In 2019, over 100 challenges were lodged. This year, the organising team of ‘Campus Mondial de la Mer’ in Brest (see below) hopes to double participation on the occasion of the 5^th Ocean Hackathon, planned for 9 to 11 October, in 6 countries and 19 host towns including Saint-Jean-de-Luz. 

The Créaluz incubator at Technopole Pays Basque will show its colours at this original weekend of challenges aimed at stimulating innovative products and services by making available digital data relating to the sea. 

The event will be organised at local level in partnership with the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour/E2S, French Tech Pays Basque, the European Centre of Excellence in Biomimetics at Senlis, EuroSIMA, the European cluster of slide sports industries and the Committee of Maritime Fishing and Business and Marine Aquaculture 64-40.

For 48 hours non-stop, teams - principally made up of students - will respond to challenges set in advance by businesses, universities, research laboratories, schools, associations, individuals, etc. and draw up an innovative project including a demonstrator and using marine data. 

In 2019, several themes were tackled: marine pollution (plastic waste, invasive plants, oil spills, etc.), citizen participation, sailing and water sports, maritime history, communication at sea, navigation aids, maritime and coastal safety, ecology, and so on. 

This year various subjects may be dealt with depending on the towns, with the national partners undertaking to make available the necessary data such as marine and coastal maps, navigation charts, coastline, seabed, tide times, sea level, swell, current, physical chemistry parameters, biological and ecological habitats, etc.

Interested organisations and persons have until 30 June to register their challenge on the platform. 

How does it work? 

The challenge is lodged by a natural or legal person in one of the participating towns. On the dedicated site, there is a map showing all the towns taking part. Click on the town of your choice and fill in the form. 

The organisation and/or persons whose challenges are selected will participate in the 5^th Ocean Hackathon, from 9 to 11 October. An international final will then be held in Brest. 

Did you know? 

Ocean Hackathon® is organised by the ‘Campus Mondial de la Mer’, and is an initiative led by Techopôle Brest-Iroise, with the support of partners: Ifremer, the Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (Shom), the French Office of Biodiversity (OFB), the French Maritime Cluster, the Village by CA and the Cedre. 

The event is one of those in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).