The eleventh hackathon, organized by the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, took place in Košice for the first time. The event, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan of Slovakia and held on September 23-24 as part of the SlovakiaTech 2024 program, revealed its winners. Three teams selected by a professional jury shared a prize of 6,000 euros. During the event, the audience also had the chance to vote for their favorite team.
The aim of the Hacknime.to project is to streamline the functioning of public administration in Slovakia through digital solutions. This time, young talents, technology enthusiasts, and IT specialists gathered to work together on solving the challenge set by the Košice Region (KSK). The hackathon, titled “Regional Development Portal,” was attended by 42 hackers who formed 12 competing teams.
The audience chose the team named Lorem Ipsum as their favorite. The key concept of their solution was communication. They designed a portal that enables the efficient sharing of investment data from districts, establishes direct contact between KSK and investors, and provides a platform for businesses and municipalities to present themselves to the world.
Team Skyline wins the hackahton
During the event, team Skyline developed a concept for a portal where investors can browse information about the region as well as investment offers within the Košice region. In addition to the main portal, they also developed a prototype of an administrative interface that KSK can use to manage the portal and published investment offers. “Every hackathon brings something new, especially new knowledge and experience. Winning this hackathon was our goal, and maybe that determination drove us to work at full capacity. This is my fourth hackathon, but this time, during conversations with mentors, I was able to gather and process information like never before,” said Mykyta Vavryk from Team Skyline, reflecting on the victory.
The second-place team, Incomodum, created a proposal for a portal that allows easy visualization of geo-data for both regular users and entrepreneurs. The solution consists of two main parts. The first is a website that aims to make the Košice Region more attractive and present it to potential foreign investors. The second part is the “map tool” – a multi-criteria map visualization of key locations that entrepreneurs can use to make informed decisions and communicate with the region based on demographic and geographic data. “Our workflow was great, we kept up with the pace, and even managed to get some sleep. I would describe the hackathon as a very positive experience,” said Lucas Ligas after receiving the award.
Third Place Goes to Team SPŠEKE. The core of their solution is connecting investors with relevant consolidated data based on their preferences and profile, all in one place. “Even though it was our first time at a hackathon, we worked really well together. We were able to get in sync,” said Tomáš Kulín. “We will definitely participate in more hackathons,” added the second team member, Michal Feňo.
Post-hackathon implementation follows
The digitalization of public administration doesn’t end with the announcement of the hackathon results. Each challenge then moves into the implementation phase, with 100,000 euros allocated from the Recovery and Resilience Plan of Slovakia. A specific timeframe is also set for the implementation, as the project owner – in this case, the Košice Region – has 12 months to develop and realize the project. Further details and information about upcoming hackathons are available on the Hacknime.to website.