40 technology professionals and energy, agriculture, and road safety experts participate in Innovative Solutions4Moldova Hackathon during 10-12 November. The event is organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Moldova, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Technovator, Orange, Premier Energy, and Waze.

For 36 hours, the participants, divided in teams, will work, test and experiment, transforming their concepts of innovative solutions into functional prototypes, assisted by 16 mentors and three trackers – professionals and experts from UNDP Moldova, public institutions, and partner organizations. 

“We live in a world of data, and all these fields—agriculture, mobility, and energy—are fields where data is produced daily. We believe that collectively we will be able to make sense of the data that is there and waiting for us to make use of it, for new insights and perspectives to emerge. And we believe that, together, we can use them to create solutions which have a positive impact on our lives and livelihoods. I look forward to seeing the solutions conceptualized during the next two days,” said Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova.

Using technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and geospatial data (satellite images), participants will create digital solutions to help better manage land and agricultural crops, assign households to the correct energy vulnerability category and better forecast energy consumption in households, identifying the most suitable locations for setting up wind farms or solar installations and anticipating and preventing road accidents and actively alerting drivers, traffic management institutions and emergency services.

The prototypes will be evaluated by an independent jury of nine persons – also representatives of public institutions and partner organizations, who will select one solution in each of the three announced areas. The winners will be announced on 12 November, at a live ceremony, and awarded various prizes from Orange Moldova, Premier Energy, and gadgets worth about US$5,000 from UNDP Moldova and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). 

The winning teams will also be guided and supported to further develop their solutions, which could be adopted by public institutions, entrepreneurs, and the general public.