Event Overview
Taking place from November 8–10, 2024, the EIT Community Ignite NEB (New European Bauhaus) Hackathon Cyprus brought together innovators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders from across Cyprus to address pressing urban challenges. A collaborative effort between CyprusInno (powered by SocialTech Lab) and Kimitisik, the event kicked off with an opening ceremony at NEB 2022 winner Gardens of the Future.
Held at The Base by CyprusInno – located in the buffer zone of Nicosia – the Ignite NEB Hackathon offered an inspiring weekend of problem-solving and innovation. Over the course of three days, 52 participants focused on two main challenge categories: Sustainable Urban Development and Inclusive Public Spaces. The teams tackled pressing issues such as zero-waste practices in cities, reimagined parks, and the revitalisation of industrial zones.
With support from local stakeholders (Urban Gorillas, Opu Collective, CYENS and Misfit Union) who provided participants with their urban challenges, and city officials, including Nicosia’s Mayor Charalambos Prountzos, the event emphasised the importance of community-driven innovation. On the final day of the hackathon, participants formed 14 teams, collaborating with coaches and experts to refine their pitches, which culminated in the winners being selected by both votes from peers and the jury, formed by SocialTech Lab, Kimitisik and EIT Urban Mobility.
The Winners
Pit-to-Table won the Business Award for its ingenious method of repurposing discarded olive pits into sustainable tabletops. Cyprus produces over 24,000 tonnes of olive pits annually, so this project both addresses waste and creates jobs for local farmers in line with the European Green Deal.
The Social Impact Award went to MC² (Mobile Creative Capsule), a modular mobile system designed to host artistic events in underused or abandoned places. The capsule offers an affordable opportunity for creative expression beyond traditional cultural venues, while promoting sustainability through its construction materials.
A Compass For the Future
The Ignite NEB event series highlights the importance of local collaboration and innovation, addressing community-driven challenges while encouraging new links between people, ideas, and places.
As these teams now move forward to the next stage with the Grow NEB programme, we look forward to seeing their ideas flourish. Together, they prove that sustainability, inclusivity, and beauty are meaningful principles with which we can breathe new life into our local communities.
The EIT Community NEB is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
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