Water and sustainable cities: solutions for the future are emerging in Montpellier!

[Article] - Published on February 23, 2023 in Educational Innovation, Flagship Projects, Erasmus+ Training Projects

Under the theme "Water and Sustainable Cities," more than 400 students, divided into 70 teams, developed innovative projects over the course of 48 hours during the Water4Future Student Hackathon 2023, organized on February 16 and 17, 2023, at the FDI Stadium in Montpellier by the UNESCO International Center Icireward. This unique competition, organized both in person and remotely, was marked by sharing and innovation.

The participants represented 42 universities and engineering schools from 17 countries in Europe (France, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland), Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger, Cameroon, South Africa) and North America (Canada). This represented 70 international teams divided into 10 groups. These teams were supported over the two days by more than 80 coaches, experts in various fields: hydrology, geology, entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, design, etc. The teams also received advice and encouragement from academician Erik Orsenna, president of Initiative pour l'Avenir des Grands Fleuves (Initiative for the Future of Major Rivers).

During these 48 hours of brainstorming and intense work, in a particularly warm atmosphere, the various teams received support from Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, Isabelle Parrot, Vice President of UM in charge of Science-Society relations, François Pierrot, Deputy Director of the UM Strategic and Structural Investment Committee, former Vice President of Innovation, Patrice Canayer, coach of Montpellier Handball and regional advisor for Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée, and Eric Servat, director of the UNESCO Icireward International Center and organizer of this hackathon, now in its fifth edition. Pyrénées-Méditerranée, and Eric Servat, Director of the UNESCO Icireward International Center and organizer of this hackathon, now in its^fifth edition.

The student teams had 48 hours to develop an innovative project on the theme of "Water & Sustainable Cities." The 11 finalist teams pitched their projects to an international jury, which selected four winners: