SMARTER BUS mobile application developed by team Beirut Rah Tondaf – Detox Beirut won first prize at the Urb-Hackathon Beirut 2018.
The second prize went to Hackollution for their project SAFAYNA and the third prize went to Breathe for their project Breathe Mobile Application.
Six teams submitted their projects to an international jury panels constituted of 8 members including Berytech Deputy GM Ramy Boujawdeh.
The prizes included the Recognition Prize by Universcience, certificate of participation to all participants, Entrepreneurship Prizes by Berytech including incubation and full business support for the first prize winners as well free membership and access to the Berytech Fab Lab for the other two winning teams, Support in Lobbying with the concerned ministries by IPT Energy Center (IPTEC), to work on turning eligible projects into real applicable solutions in Lebanon and Eco-Friendly “Quantum” Fuel Gift Cards from IPT to all the members of the winning team.
Award Ceremony
The award distribution ceremony was held at the USJ Science and Technology Campus in Mar Roukoz in the presence of Minister Raya Hasan representing President of the Council of Ministers His Excellency Mr. Saad Hariri.
Keynote speeches were given by Gilbert Tegho CEO of e-EcoSolutions, Dr. Toni Issa President of IPTEC, Patricia Pizzorno Sardena Project Manager of the Experimental Laboratory and Workshops at Universcience, Celine Moyroud Country Director at UNDP, and Berytech’s Boujawdeh, who reiterated Berytech’s mission to support innovation and entrepreneurship in Lebanon.
URB Hackathon Beirut 2018
The first Urb-Hackathon in Lebanon and the Middle East addressed the special theme: “Data-urbanism: Reducing City Air Pollution from Transport”. The event was organized by e-EcoSolutions and IPTEC in collaboration with Universcience – La Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, and with the strategic support of Berytech, the Ministry of Environment in Lebanon, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Lebanon, the Order of Engineers and Architects of Beirut, the Global Compact Network Lebanon (GCNL), Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) and the French Institute in Lebanon.
Following the launch of the Urb-Hackathon on January 23rd 2018, more than 140 professionals and students from different fields and backgrounds applied for participation. The Urb-Hackathon selection committee then selected 37 final participants to form teams and work on finding solutions to reduce the impact of air pollution caused by transport in the city, in a limited time frame and in the most technological, advanced and innovative ways.
Prototyping at the Berytech Fab Lab
The 37 participants worked for three full days at the Berytech Innovation Park in Mar Roukoz, to invent, design and produce their prototyped solutions, after being familiarized with the latest data and studies about air pollution in Lebanon. They also had free access to the Berytech Fab Lab – the first certified digital fabrication laboratory in Lebanon, offering a vast array of resources and machines to fabricate their prototypes and innovative products.
The three days were led by the French Experts team from Universcience, and included workshops, presentations and empowerment sessions.
Conclusion
“We were very happy to bring this international experience to Lebanon and to build all the right partnerships to make it happen successfully. We were even happier to witness the great results presented by the smart Lebanese minds that succeeded to capture this opportunity and to transform their ideas into achievable solutions.” – Gilbert Tegho, e-EcoSolutions CEO
“The Hackathon enables the participating students and entrepreneurs to acquire professional and technical expertise as well as guidance from international specialized experts. It also provides them with the opportunity to connect with governmental and international entities that have the resources to put their ideas and projects into effect. We look forward to obtaining their smart solutions for a problem that can no longer be ignored, namely: air pollution in Lebanese cities. This project falls in line with the ongoing efforts of IPT Energy Center (IPTEC) which began in 2012 when we launched a national campaign on the subject. In conclusion, we hope that the Urb-Hackathon will constitute an opportunity or a glimmer of hope for the ambitious and creative Lebanese youth whom we hope will become involved in solving the growing environmental problems.” – Dr. Toni Issa, IPTEC President
Finally, the Urb-Hackathon organizers thanked the key supporters for their important engagement and contributions to the event’s success, as well as the event sponsors Bank Audi, Raidy Printing, Bioland, and M Social Catering, and the official media partner LBCI.
