MARE-PLeiria promotes the 2nd edition of Ocean Hackathon®
The 2nd edition of Ocean Hackathon®, which took place between October 17 and 19 at the School of Tourism and Marine Technology (ESTM) of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, was attended by 30 participants and 20 experts from different fields, who supported the teams, as well as representatives from academic and non-academic organizations from seven countries and 13 nationalities. 
Over the course of 48 hours, without interruption, teams—made up of students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and professionals—joined forces to create prototypes capable of responding to global challenges submitted by national and international entities, based on data analysis and use.
Part of the global Ocean Hackathon® network, launched in Brest, France, by Campus Mondial de la Mer, the competition took place simultaneously in 11 cities around the world, from Victoria, Canada, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, connecting Portugal to a global blue innovation network. This edition addressed five challenges, focusing on emerging ocean-related topics such as traceability, aquaculture, biodiversity, and micro- and nanoplastics.
"It was inspiring to see what can be achieved in just 48 hours when creative and multidisciplinary minds come together. The result was a hugely successful event and solutions of high technical and scientific merit with strong application potential," says Celso Alves, researcher at MARE - Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and responsible for the local organization, together with partners from the European Union co-funded project, Blue Bio Techpreneurs.
Celso Alves also emphasizes that “it wasn't just about finding a winner, but about experiencing two intense days of connections, networking, creativity, knowledge sharing, and innovative spirit.” The researcher also reinforces the importance of this type of initiative, not only for the development of new data-based solutions for ocean challenges, but also for promoting and leveraging the bioeconomy in Portugal.
Sérgio Leandro, director of ESTM, scientific coordinator of Smart Ocean Hub Azul Peniche, and researcher at MARE-Politécnico de Leiria, highlights the importance of holding Ocean Hackathon® at the school, emphasizing that this event represents a unique opportunity to stimulate new teaching and learning contexts, bringing higher education closer to the real challenges of society.
"Initiatives such as this promote co-creation, collaborative work, and entrepreneurial spirit among students, encouraging the practical application of knowledge and the generation of innovative solutions with an impact on the territory. The Ocean Hackathon® contributes significantly to the consolidation of the innovation ecosystem being developed in Peniche, with the Hub Azul Peniche – Smart Ocean at its core, a structure that aims to establish the region as a national and international hub for the blue economy," says Sérgio Leandro.
Diana Almeida, project manager at BLUEBIO ALLIANCE, a partner in the project, testifies that “this was already the third edition of the hackathons held under the European Blue Bio Techpreneurs project, co-financed by the European Union, and each one has reinforced our commitment to collaborative innovation in the blue economy in Europe.”
"We strongly believe in the power of collaboration, especially within the project consortium, which includes renowned European entities such as Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique, co-organizer of this event, SUBMARINER Network, project leader, and the University of Southern Denmark and University of Gdańsk. This collaboration with entities working to promote the ocean was essential to increasing the impact of this initiative. The success of this hackathon reaffirms the importance of investing in contexts that promote knowledge sharing, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, with a direct impact on the future of the ocean," adds Diana Almeida.
The ‘Circularponic’ project, which proposes the sustainable use of aquaculture nutrients in circular bio-based solutions, led by AmpliAqua (Nazaré), was the big winner. The project will now represent Portugal in the Grand Final of the competition, which will take place in December in Brest, France.
The event was co-organized by the Peniche Pole of the Blue Hub Network – Smart Ocean (Peniche Sea Science and Technology Park) and the European Blue Bio Techpreneurs Project, co-financed by the European Union, in partnership with ESTM of the Polytechnic of Leiria, MARE – Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, the Municipality of Peniche, and the Blue Hub Network Portugal.
Text and photographs by Celso Alves