Some of the ideas that were developed by students at the first urban-themed hackathon announced jointly by the city of Debrecen and the Innovation Ecosystem Center of the University of Debrecen included an interactive urban information point network, community childcare centers and a night-time carpooling system. The young competitors could introduce and develop their plans that focus on the cultural life and creative industries in Debrecen, while strengthening local identity and the connectivity of urban communities in the framework of the first Re:Shape the City.
The teams comprising international students enrolled at the University of Debrecen had twenty-four hours to develop their ideas in the Innovation Center of our university, assisted by experts from Debrecen as well as mentors from Budapest, Rotterdam and Košice.
- We wondered how young people at the university, including both Hungarian and international students studying in Debrecen, see our city and what sort of ideas they might have for Debrecen to become an even more vibrant location in the future, rich in community experiences available for the general public. The teams that participated in the contest reflected on the actual problems of the city to be solved through their ideas, touching on issues like public transport, public spaces and the idea of community building. We intend to continue to cooperate with the winning team in the future as well, since they came up with an idea that fits into the current development projects in Debrecen- said Deputy Mayor for Cultural Affairs István Puskás at the awarding ceremony.
The winning team, called weSParK, consisted of Ahmed Alyousify, Yara Elkamshoushy, Dinh Thuy Hien and Ali Tantawy and created an application that can combine community building with the creation of cultural values, while also encouraging physical activity by offering a tour of the sights and places of interest in Debrecen to its users. These four young people affiliated with the technical, IT and health sciences programs of the University of Debrecen will not only be able to continue to develop their ideas with the support of the city of Debrecen, but they will also have a chance to participate in the event called Art & Tech Days to be held later in Košice, Slovakia.
- For students of our university, we announce and organize idea competitions regularly in a variety of their fields of interest, so that they can display the broad spectrum of ideas they nurture. The staff members of our Innovation Ecosystem Center even offer help to students to prepare for international competitions, so that they can then represent the University of Debrecen as efficiently as possible. This Re:Shape the City hackathon also created an excellent opportunity for cooperation with the city of Debrecen, which we are intent on continuing in the future. For example, we are also in the planning stage of a smart city-themed competition for the spring of 2026, where we hope to see again and welcome young talents- said Lilla Jutkusz, Director of the Innovation Ecosystem Center of the University of Debrecen.
Press Center - SzL