Innovation for the energy transition: International Clean Energy Hackathon in Linz/Upper Austria

At the International Clean Energy Hackathon held on 14-15 November in Linz, Upper Austria, 31 teams from 10 countries “hacked” challenges and developed new products for the energy transition.

Organised by the OÖ Energiesparverband (ESV), the energy agency of Upper Austria, the event brought together start-ups and companies from the Cleantech-Cluster Energy (the ESV’s network of sustainable energy companies in Upper Austria). At the end of the event, the teams pitched their ideas to a high-level jury. In the next phase, about 10 of the teams will receive €9,500 from the EU Urbantech project to further develop their innovative solutions – and thus contribute to climate neutrality and the energy transition!

In the preparation phase, over 30 challenges were set by leading energy transition companies and the ESV. The companies were mostly looking for innovative software and hardware solutions for solar energy, batteries, e-mobility charging, energy sharing, energy communities, energy management or smart and sustainable buildings. Fields of interest for the solutions included artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced sensors, big data, forecasting, predictive maintenance and drones.

In an open call, over 70 start-ups from 20 countries submitted their ideas for specific digital solutions. The highest quality applications were invited to the 2-day hackathon in Linz.

At the event, the companies from the cluster provided coaching and guidance to the teams. This tight collaboration enabled participants to create opportunities for collaboration beyond the boundaries of the hackathon.

On the second day, after hours of intense brainpower, the teams pitched their innovative ideas to a high-level jury including the Energy Commissioner of Upper Austria, company CEOs and more.

“So much brainpower! It was fantastic to see start-ups bring their know-how and creativity – from advanced digital solutions and artificial intelligence to big data and robotics – to the energy transition and climate neutrality.”

Christiane Egger, Deputy Manager of OÖ ESV

In the next phase, about 10 of the teams will receive “first level funding” of €9,500 from the EU-funded project Urbantech to continue developing their solution. Further steps (e.g., incubation, piloting and market discovery) will follow for selected start-ups with funding of up to €54,000. Through this event and the Urbantech project, innovative start-ups are contributing to energy security and climate neutrality!

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This best practice is issued from our publication “Sustainable Regions in Action 2023”. Find out more by clicking here to discover many more best practices from FEDARENE members as well as an overview of our activities.