UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 – EU Project

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Deadline to register: 30th of September 2023 (23h59, GMT+2)

We are looking for designers (industrial / graphic / urban / automotive / etc.), architects, makers, engineers (mechanical / transport / civil / urban / automotive / architectural / energy / robotic / mechatronic / computer / electromechanic / electronic / electric / etc.), and other innovative and creative citizens in order to build up all together the next generation of public transport.

Are you interested in transforming your city in a more sustainable one?

The UPPER (Unleashing the Potential of Public transport in EuRope) (https://www.upperprojecteu.eu/) is a EU H2020 project aiming at spearheading a public transport revolution that will strengthen its role as the flagship of sustainability and innovation of mobility in cities. We are proud to invite you to its upcoming UPPER Hackathon, taking place this time in Rome (Italy), starting on the 3rd of October 2023.

UPPER is strongly contributing to the goals of the European Commission’s Cities Mission, supporting its demonstration cities to transition towards zero-emission mobility, which will become the cornerstone of climate-neutrality by 2030.

UPPER partners, along with the Youth For Public Transport (Y4PT) Foundation, are looking for bright minds who could help advance this transition, benefitting all citizens. We are inviting any young professional, student, start-up to participate!

The Challenges

The UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 is a 3-day on-site event for multinational and multidisciplinary teams of students, developers, entrepreneurs, etc. to brainstorm and develop innovative solutions to collaborate in transforming public transport, focusing on 2 local challenges:

  1. School mobility management
  2. 360º accessibility

For details on each challenge, please check below.

HOW?

  • An in-person event will take place in Rome (Italy) between 3-5 October 2023 where teams will pitch their ideas to a specialised jury panel and work on their solution with guidance of mentors.
  • Both designing and developing innovative applications advancing mobility with new solutions that will improve user acceptance and passenger benefit.
  • Appropriate mentoring will be provided to all participants by experienced UPPER-Y4PT staff.
  • Deliberately utilising, training-in and exploring the best aspects of in-presence collaboration. Transforming every disadvantage into an opportunity to learn, grow, connect, solve and inspire.

PRIZES

All participants:

  • They will receive a participation certificate signed by UPPER and Y4PT.
  • Winning teams and other selected teams will be interviewed and featured prominently on UPPER and Y4PT websites. They will also be publicized via the extensive media networks of UPPER and Y4PT, including newsletters.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? 

Please note that currently the UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 invites:

  • Any youth and young professionals from Europe and all over the world; travel and accommodation expenses are NOT covered.
  • Up to 5 members per team

Participants can be individuals of any age, groups or teams of people, students, young professionals, robotics experts, etc., who will demonstrate their commitment, creativity, or enthusiasm for sustainability in their application. Are you one of those innovative and creative individuals or teams with a great ability to get the most out of limited resources? Then this call is for you!

During the UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023, participants need to bring and use their own laptops and tools.

Submissions will be reviewed by UPPER and Y4PT, and assessed relative to creativity, value and potential for immediate or fast sustainability and replication.

There are many ways to participate and make a difference, so show us how YOU are a sustainable champion with a flair for UPPER!

SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION

  • Registrations are open until the 30th of September 2023. Subscriptions are based on a first-come, first-served basis (UPPER and Y4PT will perform a shortlist).
  • Winners will be announced during the UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 finale, on the 5th of October 2023.
  • For details on the agenda, please check below.

CHALLENGE 1: SCHOOL MOBILITY MANAGEMENT

The objective is twofold, both to limit the number of journeys by car during school entrance and exit times, and to create awareness of sustainable mobility choices among young people and adults (parents, teachers and school staff). The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of cars circulating for school mobility, promoting a correct cultural approach to sustainability towards children and parents. The latter, having fewer accompanying constraints, will be free to satisfy their mobility needs not by car, indirectly favouring the use of LPT.

Using both the students’ origin and destination addresses and open data on city mobility services, we would like you to develop a software or app that stimulates active, shared and sustainable mobility (PT, carpooling, bike to school and footbus) by the creation of groups for home-school and school-home transport/afternoon activities, also taking care of adequate communication and dissemination of the initiative, thinking of motivational levers (safety and security e.g.)

CHALLENGE 2: 360º ACCESSIBILITY

The theme of accessibility to public transport must be treated in its entirety. We want to focus on that segment of users who don’t use it yet or the motivation for using PT only occasionally such as poor PT supply, or impossibility due to reduced mobility.

  1. Reflect on a communication campaign that identifies the strengths of LPT and encourages its use.
  2. Taking into account: multilingual, fragile/vulnerable users also with reference to the gender component, permanent and temporary disabilities, occasional users (city-users and tourists), using the open data available on the various service sites of the city, with the objective of moving more and more users to PT, finding a solution to convey and make available all the information in a dynamic and timely manner (also taking into account micro-mobility solutions).
  3. Digitization and infographics: on vehicles and in stations (IA, CC and ML)

Thanks to emerging technologies and starting from the open data made available by public service companies, we would like you to think of a tool to optimize and make the information relating to mobility usable in the best possible way for citizens and tourists, including people with reduced mobility.

In particular, and as a consequence, communication, also multilingual, with the aim of making service communication more effective (construction sites, timetables, unexpected events, jobs, etc.), even for those who are not familiar with technology, through the integration of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.

AGENDA

The UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 final pitch will be entirely run in English; team members who will lead the pitch must be able to communicate, interact with the jury panel during the question and answer session. Teams might work in English/Italian during the development of the projects. The other plenary sessions (UPPER, Y4PT introductions, instructions, presentations, etc.) will be in English solely; in case of further clarifications, UPPER and Y4PT staff will be pleased to interact with any participant in English/Italian in private.

Venue: Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti di Roma (CTE): Piazzale della Stazione Tiburtina, 00162 Roma RM, Italia.

Day 1: Tuesday 3rd of October 2023

Time/Duration DescriptionResponsible(s)
09:00 – 09:30Arrival of participants / Registration / Welcome BreakfastEverybody
09:30 – 09:45Welcome and opening remarksUPPER
09:45 – 10:00Inspiring and motivating speech: What is Y4PT and what do we do? The Y4PT Global Transport Hackathon initiative and the mentorsY4PT
10:00 – 10:15UPPER corporate introduction / Meeting the UPPER mentorsUPPER
10:15 – 10:30UPPER local challenges specifications (intro, problems, available information, possible solutions, etc.)UPPER
10:30 – 10:45Presentation of the hackathon agenda day 1Y4PT
10:45 – 13:30Plenary session: Get to know all the participants and their hackathon project
ideas: “elevator pitch” (1 minute per participant) + Team-forming finalization		Y4PT
13:30 – 14:30Lunch breakEverybody
14:30 – 17:45Group session: All teams start working on their hackathon projects with the guidance of all mentorsHackers
17:45 – 18:45Group session: 1st check-point of hackathon projects with all mentors: “What is your idea missing so far?” / One team at a time while others keep workingUPPER & Y4PT
18:45 – 19:00 Plenary session: Wrap-up (information on scenario of final day)Y4PT
19:00End of the 1st day hackathon meeting (teams might keep working remotely on their projects at home)Everybody

Day 2: Wednesday 4th of October 2023

Time/Duration DescriptionResponsible(s)
09:00 – 09:30Arrival of participants / Registration / Welcome BreakfastEverybody
09:30 – 09:45Presentation of the hackathon agenda day 2Y4PT
09:45 – 13:30Group session: All teams start working on their hackathon projects with the guidance of all mentors Y4PT
13:30 – 14:30Lunch breakEverybody
14:30 – 17:45Group session: All teams start working on their hackathon projects with the guidance of all mentorsHackers
17:45 – 18:45Group session: 2nd check-point of hackathon projects with all mentors: “What is your idea missing so far?” / One team at a time while others keep workingUPPER & Y4PT
18:45 – 19:00 Plenary session: Wrap-up (information on scenario of final day)Y4PT
19:00End of the 2nd day hackathon meeting (teams might keep working remotely on their projects at home)Everybody

Day 3: Thursday 5th of October 2023

Time/DurationDescriptionResponsible(s)
09:00 – 09:30Arrival of participants / Registration / Welcome Breakfast Everybody
09:30 – 09:45Presentation of the hackathon agenda day 3Y4PT
09:45 – 10:453rd and last check-point (rehearsal) of hackathon projects with all mentors: “What is your idea missing so far?” / One team at a time while others keep working UPPER & Y4PT
10:45 – 13:30 Group session: Teams keep working on their hackathon projects with the guidance of all mentorsEverybody
13:30 – 14:30 Lunch breakEverybody
14:30- 15:30Group session: Terminating all hackathon projects with the guidance of all mentorsHackers
15:30 – 17:00Plenary session: Final presentation to the UPPER Jury Panel (5 minutes pitch & 5 min Q&A) / UPPER Jury panel deliberating / UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 winners announcementUPPER Jury Panel
17:00 – 19:00Cocktail party at the hackathon premises / Networking meetingUPPER
19:00End of the 3rd and final day hackathon meeting Everybody

CONTACT

For further information, please contact:

  • Mrs. Alessandra GORINI, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Y4PT-UITP Foundation

UPPER Hackathon Rome 2023 is possible thanks to all the partners: