Who should apply?
Students, researchers, entrepreneurs, food and agriculture sector employees, and anyone interested in contributing to the sustainable future of the food system is invited to come up with innovative solutions to important challenges in the agriculture and food sectors. This is your chance to step up, collaborate, and sharpen your skills at our two-day hackathon!
No previous experience is necessary — bring your curiosity and ambition!
Why join?
- Tackle critical food-related challenges
- Hands-on experience solving real-life problems
- Design thinking and pitch training
- Inspirational speakers
- Networking with like-minded people
- EIT Food and partner prizes:
- Cash prize of 500€ and 5 tickets to sTARTUp Day 2025 for winning team and opportunity to take part of EIT Food’s business support programs
- Five tickets to sTARTUp Day 2025 for the most innovative idea
- Six hours of mentoring from Tartu Biotechnology Park
- Consultation worth 500€ from TFTAK
Challenges from METK
- AI-Based Crop Disease Detection and Prevention
- Problem: Crop diseases can destroy large harvests, leading to food shortages and economic damage.
- Expectation: Develop an AI-based system that uses data from drones and satellites to detect early signs of diseases in crops in real-time, offering precise preventive treatments. This reduces pesticide use and supports sustainability.
- Fully Automated Vertical Farms
- Problem: Urbanization is reducing the land available for traditional farming.
- Expectation: Design a system of vertical farms powered by AI and robotics, which enables food production in urban environments on smaller areas of land, using fewer resources such as water and energy.
- IoT- and Blockchain-Based Food Supply Chain Transparency
- Problem: Consumers demand more information about the origin, production conditions, and ecological impact of their food.
- Expectation: Develop an IoT-powered system integrated with blockchain technology to ensure complete transparency throughout the food supply chain. This system tracks food from farm to table, allowing consumers to scan product packaging and access detailed information on the product’s journey, including sustainability certifications, environmental impact, and ethical practices.
- AI-Based Personalized Nutrition through Sustainable Food
- Problem: Consumers lack access to personalized nutrition recommendations based on local and sustainable products.
- Expectation: Create an AI-based application that analyzes consumer health data, lifestyle and dietary habits, providing recommendations for consuming local and environmentally friendly food.
- Carbon Footprint Reduction Tools for Farmers
- Problem: Farmers need tools to measure and reduce their CO2 emissions.
- Expectation: Design a carbon footprint tracking platform that provides real-time data and practical solutions to reduce carbon emissions in production processes, such as optimizing fertilization and fuel usage.
- Digital Platform for Local Food Production and Distribution During Crises
- Problem: Crises like COVID-19 show that global supply chains can unexpectedly break down, leaving local communities without access to food.
- Expectation: Develop a digital platform that connects local farmers, warehouses, and consumers during crises to ensure safe and fair food distribution through short supply chains, using technologies like robotics and smart storage systems.
- Improving Food Security Through Predictive Data Analytics
- Problem: Climate change and supply chain disruptions affect food production and supply, threatening food security.
- Expectation: Create a data analytics-based system that uses satellite data, weather forecasts, and supply chain information to predict potential production issues (such as yield declines or transportation disruptions) and provide solutions to mitigate risks before crises occur.
Hackathon is FREE – so seize this unique opportunity to make an impact!
More information on challenges and preliminary agenda on Tartu Biotechnology Park's website.
More information:
Oliver Loit
Head of Innovation Service
[email protected]
