Call for Student Participants: AI Hackathon for Sustainability

Organised by the European Union Delegation to the UAE & Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

 

Event Day 

October 6, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

Are you ready?

If you’re a Bachelor’s or Master’s student in the UAE with a passion for innovation, technology, and sustainability, this is your chance to turn bold ideas into real-world impact, meet leaders in tech and sustainability…and win prizes!

The AI for Sustainability Hackathon brings together young bright minds from across the country for a thrilling one-day challenge. You’ll team up, create AI-powered solutions to tackle urgent environmental issues, and pitch your ideas to top industry experts from the EU and the UAE.

This is your opportunity to:

  • Build innovative AI projects that address real sustainability challenges
  • Take the lead in advancing women’s role in technology (female-led teams necessary)
  • Join peers from multiple cutting-edge disciplines
  • Receive mentorship from leading AI professionals and industry insiders to accelerate the project development, feasibility and presentation.
  • Compete for awards and recognition from industry experts and EU diplomats.

The Challenge

Participants are required to develop AI-driven solutions, like - for example - predictive modelling, object detection, scene understanding, Large Language Model (LLM) and optimization mechanisms.

The project will be an AI-based solution or application aligning with at least one of the following key UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 

  • Climate Action (SDG13): ClimateTech, renewable energy, extreme weather events and climate change impacts; Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)
  • Affordable & Clean Energy (SDG7) – Smart energy management systems
  • Responsible Consumption & Production (SDG12) – AI for waste sorting, recycling optimization, and material recovery; Reducing waste and increasing circularity
  • Sustainable Cities & Communities (SDG11) – Enhancing public transportation and reducing traffic congestion; Air and water quality monitoring and improvement
  • Clean Water & Sanitation (SDG6) – Water conservation, distribution and waste; Wastewater treatment and purification

Who Can Join

  • Each team will comprise 3-5 students.
  • Each team has to be composed by Bachelor's and Master’s degree students from various disciplines, including but not limited to Computer Science, Machine Learning, Engineering, Environmental Science, Data Science, and Business.
  • The team leader must be a female student. Teams can be all-female, majority-female, or mixed, but always female-led. She will lead the application procedure and act as main point of contact. 

Selection Criteria & Awards

Our generous sponsors are already signing up to join judging panels and award prizes.

Watch this space for more details! 

Projects will be evaluated by industry experts based on a comprehensive set of criteria designed to assess their innovation, technical merit, feasibility, and potential impact.

Three award categories are foreseen:

  • Sustainable AI Excellence Award – Best AI solution for sustainability
  • Next Future Award – Most creative and visionary solution
  • Energy Efficient AI Award – Best energy-efficient innovation

Tools at Your Disposal

Working from your own laptops, you will be encouraged to use AI and machine learning tools, cloud and computing resources, and prototyping and collaboration tools.

How to Register

  1. Form your team
  2. Pick your female team leader
  3. Fill out the registration form here: https://forms.office.com/r/WPENPvw9ei
  4. Start discussing your ideas for a world-beating AI project for sustainability

Your AI solution could be the next big leap towards a sustainable future.

The clock is ticking. Gather your team and register now!

For further information, please contact:

Delegation of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates: AI-for-SustainabilityHackathon@equinoccio.eu

Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi: Dr. Giulia De Masi giulia.demasi@sorbonne.ae

 

 

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09:00 am - 05:00 pm
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
How to join?

Please submit your application by filling in this form - https://forms.office.com/r/WPENPvw9ei