Climathon 2025
Team contest
Solve tricky challenges,
become experts in cleantech
and win 1,000 euros
What is the Climathon?
Inspired by the popular hackathon concept, the Climathon is a German-Polish encounter project combining knowledge exchange and competition. Instead of developing software or programs, Climathon participants work in teams to tackle exciting challenges in the fields of clean energy and industry. They are competing for prize money amounting 1,000 euros.
The Climathon finale is part of the tech convention Decarbon Days.
Who can participate in the Climathon 2025?
The Climathon is a German-Polish cooperative project between BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the University of Zielona Góra, primarily aimed at students from both universities.
Additionally, creatives and entrepreneurs from the cultural and creative industries (entrepreneurs, founders, employees, freelancers, apprentices) from the German and Polish sides of the Euroregion Spree-Neiße-Bober can take part in the team contest.
The application phase is over. We would like to thank all participating teams and look forward to a varied and exciting competition!
The challenge
Decarbonisation of the Industrie: solutions for the integration of renewable energies
In this Open Innovation Challenge, we are looking for creative and innovative solutions that improve the efficiency, reliability, and integration of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and water into modern energy systems. Our focus is particularly on the needs of industrial companies that rely on sustainable energy. Let´s decarbonate the industry.
Your task is to develop solutions based on different approaches to meet these needs and make them available to the industry as a product. Think, for example, of using sensor data, weather forecasts or grid systems to optimize the forecasting and management of renewable energy. You could also explore AI techniques to improve load balancing and demand forecasting in systems with high levels of renewable energy.
When developing your solution, you should pay attention to scalability, cost efficiency and user-friendliness so that your ideas are accessible to a broad target group.
Be part of the solution and use your knowledge and creativity to drive the energy transition forward! Let’s develop innovative products together that not only increase energy efficiency, but also improve people’s lives. Join in and share your ideas with us!
Challenge execution
Selection of live-pitch-teams
Each of the two partner universities will select 3 student teams from the applications. Additionally, one German and one Polish culture-/creativity-team will be chosen.
These 6 student teams and 2 culture-/creativity-teams will be notified by phone and email on May 27 and invited to the Decarbon Days final on June 27–28 in Cottbus as live-pitch-Teams.
The selected live-pitch-teams will compete for prize money amounting 1,000 euros.
They will present their solution(s) during the Talent-Day on June 28 in a maximum 10-minute live pitch on a big stage. The pitches will be live-streamed and archived online.
After the pitches, the jury will select the winning team, which will receive the 1,000 euro prize money.
Not selected as a live-pitch-team?
No problem! All the other teams will be invited by email on May 27 to take part in the online version of the competition. They can also work on 1–2 of the published challenges and submit their solutions as a maximum 10-minute video or playable presentation until June 28, 10 AM to info@climathon.eu.
These entries will also be documented online.
A winning team will also be chosen among the online submissions and awarded a prize.
Online teams are welcome to watch the live pitches on June 28 via livestream or connect with other teams on-site during the Decarbon Days (June 27–28).
Tickets for the Tech-Festival on June 27 are available at decarbon-days.ticket.io; entry on June 28 is free.
The final in detail
Preparation
The Climathon officially begins on June 19 at 10 AM with the release of the five challenge tasks. The live-pitch-teams therefore have one week until the final at the Decarbon Days. They can decide for themselves whether to solve the tasks within this week and create the presentation in advance or use June 27 to work on the challenge/presentation and exchange ideas with other teams.
Final at the Decarbon Days
A joint train and bus shuttle trip will be organized for the Polish teams, with details sent out via email.
From 9 AM, entry to the Tech-Festival begins. All live-pitch-teams are on the guest list and have free entry, so the regular ticket price of 19.90 euros for students and 39.90 euros for entrepreneurs is waived.
At the Tech-Festival, the live-pitch-teams are provided with a separate room with the appropriate equipment – participants bring their own laptops and other equipment. There, the participants have the opportunity to work on their solutions and presentations.
The competing teams can get to know each other and exchange ideas about the competition. Visitors to the Tech-Festival can also drop in on the teams and perhaps even give them a tip or two.
Teams that have already worked out all or most of their solutions and presentations in advance can use the time to take advantage of the offers at the Tech-Festival.
At the end of the first day, the Polish teams will be taken by shuttle bus to a youth hostel in Cottbus, where they will spend the night for free.
On day 2, the Polish participants will be picked up by shuttle bus and taken to the Hangar. As on the previous day, the German teams will arrive independently.
From 9 AM, the teams can then move back into their separate room to prepare for their live pitches. The live pitches will begin at 11 AM, followed by a short jury decision, the announcement of the winning team and the prize money handover on stage.
On June 28, participants will once again be able to take advantage of all the offers and the diverse supporting program on site.
At the end of the second day at around 2 PM, the Polish teams will travel back together by train.
On both days, the teams will be provided with drinks and food free of charge.
Additional informations
Cooperating live-pitch-teams have to share the prize money of 1,000 euros. The same applies to the prize that online winners receive.
The jury for the Climathon final is made up of representatives from both partner universities, cooperating companies and the Decarbon Days event team.
Contact
Neela-Medea Löder
nl@zweihelden.de
Sponsors of the Climathon
Das Projekt wird aus den Mitteln des Europäischen Fonds für regionale Entwicklung (EFRE) im Rahmen des Kooperationsprogramms INTERREG VI A Brandenburg – Polen 2021-2027 und des Kleinprojektefonds der Euroregion Spree-Neiße-Bober, kofinanziert.
Partners of the Climathons
