The hackathon will take place at the UvA’s REC Impact location and brings together 30 students from different disciplines, including AI, engineering, water, policy and design. In interdisciplinary teams, participants will work on real-world challenges related to water quality, pollution, PFAS and circular water use.

Connecting talent with government and business

The event connects student talent with expertise from academia, government, industry and civil society. Participants will work with real datasets and receive guidance from water and technology experts. Partners involved include Rijkswaterstaat, Waterschap Amstel Gooi & Vecht and organisations from the water and engineering sectors.

Focus on practical solutions

The focus is not only on competition, but on developing solutions that can be used in practice. During the intensive one-day programme, teams will use design thinking, systems thinking and rapid prototyping to turn a real water challenge into a demonstrable prototype.

Get in touch with companies and end-users

The ambition is to continue promising ideas beyond the hackathon. At least three projects are intended to be fast-tracked into the UvA Impact Challenge from January 2027. Participants will also receive mentoring and opportunities to connect with companies and potential end-users.

Collaboration between education, research and society

The initiative aims to strengthen the connection between education, research and society, while giving students the opportunity to contribute to pressing challenges around urban water.

Sponsors

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