Dive into some of the critical challenges faced in the Arctic region. This fascinating and complex geographical, meteorological and biological ecosystem needs your help! Can you develop sustainable solutions that support our future? 

CASSINI is short for Competitive Space Start-ups for Innovation, an initiative supported by the European Commission to encourage space entrepreneurship for a digital and sustainable Europe. 

The hackathon is open to anyone with a passion for entrepreneurship, the Arctic and EU space technologies. Platform6 member Nordic Startup School is officially the local organiser of the CASSINI Hackathon in Finland, Tampere this November!

The idea is to use European space data to develop ideas and services to solve challenges related to the environment, sustainability, climate, wildlife, and navigation routes in the Arctic. APPLY TO BE A HACKER NOW to represent Finland in the competition against teams from 9 other countries around Europe.

The timeline

1 September: Registrations open. Register to be a participant in the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon: Connecting the Arctic. Don’t forget to invite your friends!

25-28 October: Big Ideas Campaign. Join us for this series of online evening events where we aim to spark your creativity and help you meet fellow team members. We kick off with our launch session, then dive into the key space technologies and arctic data you will need to succeed. Each local organiser will also introduce themselves to you with a dedicated information and team formation session.

29 October: Registrations close. Register before the deadline – that’s true for both you AND your team mates.

5-7 November: The hackathon weekend. The main event! Join hundreds of hackers around Europe as they connect the Arctic with European space technologies. Each location will select one winning team at the end of the weekend to process to the Demo Day & Awards Ceremony

10 November: Demo Day & Awards Ceremony. All 10 winners from around Europe will come together to pitch their solutions in front of an expert jury. The top 3 will be selected and will each win 100 hours of expert mentoring to continue the development of their space-based ideas! This event is open to the public, so everyone can join.

Challenges

Challenge #1: Safe passage at sea. Design products, devices or services that enable container ships, cruise liners and fishing trawlers to navigate safely across our Nordic Seas. If you choose this challenge, you’ll be encouraged to dive into the areas of navigation route optimisation, extreme weather and sea ice warnings, the development and connectivity of future shipping lanes, and environmental disaster and emergency management.

Challenge #2: Life on Land. Design products, devices or services that enable human societies, plants and wildlife to better adapt to the Arctic climate. If you choose this challenge, you’ll be encouraged to explore topics such as environmental monitoring and climate change mitigation, renewable energy advancements, environmental protection, and the improved connectivity for research stations in remote areas.

Challenge #3: Caring for our wildlife. Design products, devices or services that can help protect biodiversity and the natural habitat of wildlife in the Arctic. If you choose this challenge, you’ll be encouraged to focus on protecting marine biodiversity, understanding and forecasting mitigation routes, understanding and mitigating the effects of exploration and development on wildlife, and the impact of climate change on natural habitats.

For full challenge descriptions, check out: https://hackathons.cassini.eu/hackers