an innovation challenge uniting innovators across Cyprus to co-create sustainable, scalable solutions that reduce food waste and advance the SDGs.
Description
The initiative aimed to raise awareness of food waste in Cyprus, foster idea-generation among local communities, and accelerate sustainable solutions that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following UNDP’s Innovation Challenge methodology, the 2.5-day hackathon, supported by CyprusInno and local partners, united participants from across Cyprus to design innovative, practical approaches to minimize food waste.
Participants engaged in workshops, mentorship, and collaborative team-building, developing ideas that were pitched to a high-level jury. The top teams received continued support to refine their solutions, with the winning team, Cyprus Food Hub (CFH), awarded €10,000 seed funding to implement their project.
Structure of the Programme
- 2.5-day hackathon with interactive panels, workshops, and team ideation sessions
- Expert-led workshops on design thinking, business modelling, ICT tools, and pitching
- Public panel discussion with key actors from the food waste ecosystem to inspire solutions
- Team formation and collaboration, turning individual applicants into cohesive groups
- High-level jury evaluation with representatives from UNDP, the EU, CyprusInno, Microsoft, and partner Embassies
- Mentorship phase for 3 finalist teams, providing 4×2-hour sessions to refine proposals
- Seed funding award of €10,000 for the winning team to implement a pilot project
Programme Impact
Engaged 29 participants
fostering bi-communal collaboration on a shared environmental challenge
Generated 9 innovative concepts
targeting food waste reduction across the island fully embedded with the SDGs
Strengthened participants’ skills
in innovation, design thinking, project development, and pitching
Supported 3 finalist teams
through targeted mentorship to transform ideas into feasible, scalable proposals
Awarded €10,000 seed funding
to Cyprus Food Hub, to implement a community-based food redistribution system
Catalyzed cross-sector partnerships
between public, private, and civil society actors for systemic change in food waste ecosystem
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