WATER4FUTURE HACKATHON brings together students from all over the world

Icireward, the UNESCO International Center for Water, is organizing the 5th edition of the water4future hackathon on February 16 and 17. The event will bring together 17 countries from Europe, Africa and North America, and nearly 400 students from 40 universities and engineering schools. The aim: to work simultaneously on current water issues and come up with innovative projects and solutions in 48 hours.

Visit W4F Hackathon 2023 in a few words

On February 16 and 17, students from all over the world will be setting up innovative projects to tackle water-related issues. This year, participants will discover the theme of the 2023 edition 48 hours before the start of the W4F Student Hackathon. This innovation competition is organized by the UNESCO ICIREWARD International Center in Montpellier - a UNESCO center dedicated to water. Its aim is to unleash the creativity of young people, raise their awareness and give them a voice. With the events experienced this summer in France, and particularly in the south, (extreme drought, water restrictions, etc.), awareness of the effects of climate change is growing. At different scales, freshwater issues affect everyone on every continent, whether you live in the city or the countryside.

That's why, for the 2023 edition of the W4F Student Hackathon, young people from France (Montpellier, Toulouse, Lille, Valenciennes, Corsica, Reunion Island), Europe (Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Finland), Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger, Cameroon, South Africa) and North America (Canada) will be thinking up technical, regulatory and/or social solutions. Accompanied by experts and professionals, their aim is to respond to a current issue, to make a commitment and take action for more sustainable water. At the end of the two days, the solutions will be presented to a jury of international professionals, who will award prizes to the best projects.

Program schedule

Thursday, February 16, 2023: 9am - 11pm

• Opening with speeches: Université de Montpellier, Centre International UNESCO ICIREWARD de Montpellier

Friday, February 17, 2023: 8am - 8pm

• Presence of Erik Orsenna, member of the Académie Française
• Philippe Augé's talk: time to be confirmed
• Semi-finals start: 4:30 p.m.
• Start of final: 6 p.m.

The ICIREWARD Unesco Center

The UNESCO ICIREWARD (International Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Water Systems Dynamics) is the first and only UNESCO research and training center dedicated to inland water in France. Located in Montpellier, it is one of the largest of its kind in the world. ICIREWARD brings together and strengthens the collaboration of nearly 400 scientists and 150 PhD students in 17 research laboratories. The Center's scientific community thus forms a rich multidisciplinary and international network to improve understanding of water-related issues. The research focuses combine hydrological, chemical and biological sciences with social sciences to provide comprehensive expertise on the challenges of water resources: availability, quality, sharing and extreme phenomena (floods, droughts).

ICIREWARD works throughout the year with schools, high schools, students and the general public (Water4Future program, March 24, 2023 "From New-York to Montpellier, all mobilized for sustainable water" - more information to come).