Completed hackathons
Our completed hackathons
Holmen Hackathon – Fall 2024
Skellefteå Kraft aimed to find a solution that could provide a better and more quality-assured overview of biomass at their combined heat and power plants. The goal was to transition from the current partially manual processes to a more digital system.
Want to learn more about this challenge? Click here.
Elvenite delivered the winning solution, where they will utilize the data that Skellefteå Kraft already has to create effective models for making accurate predictions. They will then identify additional data needed to further enhance the accuracy of these predictions.
Skellefteå Kraft together with the winning team Elvenite.
Holmen Hackathon – Fall 2023
This challenge focused on a specific question: How can we transform wood ash – a byproduct from our biomass boilers created during the heating and drying of sawn timber – from waste to a valuable resource?
Want to learn more about this challenge? Click here.
Biocompost AB emerged as the winner with a solution involving incorporating the ash into their composting process, as it has been found to both enhance the process and enrich the final product. Read more in Swedish here.
The Winner Biocompost AB together with Holmen Skog AB.
Our partners’ completed hackathons
Autumn 2024
Liukas Hackathon – Jyväskylä University of Applied Science, Finland
Liukas aimed to develop an intelligent logistics management solution for the growing material flows in the value chains of biogas and recycled fertilizers. They sought a skilled partner to create a digital tool for managing, reporting, and invoicing the transportation of manure and digestate between biogas plants and farms. Three winners with complementary solutions were selected: Aiseemo, Freight Automation by Hogs, and Waybiller.
Karlstad Energi Hackathon – Paper Province, Sweden
Karlstad Energi explored the possibility of repurposing used wine corks. Currently, these corks are discarded in combustible waste, but the hope is to give them a second life, much like other caps and lids. The goal was to find a product where the corks could be recycled into a production chain. The winning solution came from the Polish company ReKorek, which will produce new products from the recycled corks.
Stora Enso Hackathon – Vidzeme Planning Region, Latvia
Stora Enso was searching for a solution to reduce water usage during the summer season to prevent the staining of timber. Swedish company Kagon AB was announced as the winner with their innovative solution.
Spring 2024
Targi Kielce Hackathon – Pro Civis, Poland
Targi Kielce is one of Europe’s leading exhibition organizers. They aimed to find a circular and/or bio-based replacement for their polypropylene exhibition carpets. VIVE Innovation provided the winning solution, which involves recycling Targi Kielce’s used carpets and materials to create a textile composite for new carpets. Read more here.
Cosun Beet Hackathon – Witeno, Germany
Cosun Beet’s challenge focused on finding a use to create higher value from the residues of their sugar beet cultivation. In this hackathon, three teams were awarded for their solutions. Team N-fix will use Cosun Beet’s residues as a substrate to grow microorganisms, helping reduce the amount of fertilizer needed by farmers to grow sugar beets. Team Vinasse2Proteins’ solution focuses on plant proteins, which can be derived from fungi growing on residues from Cosun’s bioethanol plant, where the remaining water is still of such quality that it can be used to cultivate algae, which in turn can be processed into food. Lastly, team CAPitalize Leaves aims to further develop the eco-friendly Capraferm process, converting beet leaves into raw material for high-quality chemicals. Read more here.
Nando Hackathon – Sunrise Valley Science and Technology Park, Lithuania
Nando’s challenge aimed to find effective methods to reduce overfertilization. They currently produce microbiological products and chemical additives for agriculture. Team Green Fly won the challenge with their solution using drone scanning to visualize and analyze farmland. Read more here.
Fibenol Hackathon – Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia
Fibenol’s challenge was to find new applications for its lignin and cellulose/hemicellulose from sawdust related to food or feed. The winning solution came from the Belgian team NovelYeast bv, which plans to convert the C5 stream into xylitol, an alternative sweetener. Read more here.
Võiste Hackathon – Pärnu County Development Centre, Estonia
Võiste sought a use for the residues from tomato cultivation in their greenhouses to create added value. Team Biochar won with their solution to convert greenhouse biomass into biochar, which can be used as fertilizer, filtration material, or an ingredient in cosmetics. Read more here.
Autumn 2023
ValioHackathon – Jyväskylä University of Applied Science, Finland
ValioHackathon innovation competition aiming at finding concrete and effective ways to balance seasonality on farm level. The winner was the Swedish company Elvenite AB! Read more here
MoelvenHackathon – Paper Province, Sweden
How can packaging used to protect and store wood be made more environmentally friendly than the ones made of fossil-based plastic used today? Billerud provided the winning solution with their packaging made of paper! Read more here
AlojasHackathon – Vidzeme Planning Region, Latvia
Aloja wants to develop a CMMS system for more efficient equipment servicing and maintenance of their spare parts warehouse. The goal is to streamline and ensure a sustainable production process that results in reduced raw material losses and improved working conditions. The winner was the Finnish company Pinja Digital Oy! Read more here
