The Students’ Innov’Up Hackathon 2024 successfully concluded its second edition on 16 and 17 December, on the theme of “Transforming water stress into a driver of resilience”. This landmark event in the environmental innovation field was organised by the European Union in Morocco in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Euromed University of Fez (UEMF). It brought together talented and innovative student entrepreneurs, who worked together to come up with sustainable solutions to water stress in Morocco. Candidates were asked to put forward business solutions for the agricultural or industrial sectors, and to devise an awareness-raising campaign to be led by students in higher education to encourage the younger generation to manage water resources wisely.

At the end of this competition, the panel of experts selected three teams to take part in the final phase of the Hackathon. 

• 1st prize won by “Hydrovision” for its “Aqua لنا” project, which raises awareness about water conservation via an interactive application that links users’ daily habits with practical advice and rewards, encouraging sustainable practices.
• 2nd prize won by “Pure Aqua White” for its project for an ecological filtration system based on industrial waste to reuse wastewater for irrigation or watering, while supporting an environmentally responsible, circular economy.
• 3rd prize won by “Créatech” for its Aquatech project, which transforms humidity in the air into drinking water using solar-powered technology, meeting water needs in arid areas sustainably.

The jury’s “Coup de Coeur” prize was awarded to the “Raha” team for its “Bluepact” project, an educational game modelled on Monopoly, designed to raise young people’s awareness about sustainable water management through interactive challenges, thereby shaping a generation that is aware about environmental issues. The winners will all receive post-hackathon support to help them hone their project ideas.