The city of Sfax hosted the hackathon “Bleu Innov – From idea to a sustainable project”, organized by the Association Connexion des Générations (ACG), in partnership with the support program for innovative enterprises and startups “Shine n’Mine” as well as the Center for Digital Research at the Sfax Technological Pole. The event took place over two days.
This event brought together young innovators, students, researchers, developers and entrepreneurs from various disciplines, with the aim of designing concrete and sustainable solutions to the environmental, economic and social challenges faced by coastal regions, while encouraging investment in the blue economy sector.
This initiative fits within the framework of efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation through the development of projects aimed at protecting marine wealth, preserving ecological balances, combating pollution and marine waste, but also to foster adaptation to climate change and the valorization of marine resources.
The hackathon program notably included training workshops, round tables as well as mentoring and guidance sessions. The work focused on design thinking, innovation and the modeling of economic projects, to help the participating teams transform their ideas into concrete and feasible initiatives.
The various challenges addressed concerned the valorization of fishing resources, the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems, the management and recycling of marine waste, ecotourism as well as digital innovation in the professions related to the sea. The program also gave significant emphasis to the economic inclusion of youths and to strengthening adaptive capacity to climate change.
This event was organized with the support of the project “Greenov’i”, funded by the European Union, as part of its axis dedicated to green entrepreneurship and the program “Tunisie verte et durable”.
The hackathon concluded with the presentation of projects before a multidisciplinary jury composed of experts, professionals and actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, tasked with evaluating the initiatives and selecting the best projects.
Cash prizes of 1,500 dinars for the first prize, 1,000 dinars for the second and 800 dinars for the third were awarded. The selected projects will also benefit from incubation and support opportunities to transform the ideas presented into concrete projects.
Through the organization of the “Bleu Innov” hackathon, the organizers aim to emphasize the importance of investing in the skills of young people and the rapprochement between scientific research, innovation and entrepreneurship. An approach that seeks to strengthen the contribution of the blue economy to sustainable development, to job creation and to the promotion of investment, while preserving marine wealth.
