From 26 March to 4 April 2025, ESSCA's AI for Sustainability Institute hosted the Urban Innovation Challenge Hackathon, a week-long event designed to encourage students to develop innovations for more sustainable urban environments.
Organised as part of Work Package 7 of the EUonAIR alliance, "Smart and Green UniverCities", the hackathon aimed to empower students to meaningfully contribute to research and innovation while promoting climate-neutral smart cities.
10 projects, 2 partner cities, 1 common mission: Innovating for more sustainable cities
The event brought together 10 student teams from across Europe and beyond:
- 5 teams participated onsite at the ESSCA Paris campus, working directly on issues identified in Angers and Boulogne-Billancourt.
- 5 international teams participated remotely from EUonAIR partner universities, working on challenges relevant to their own cities and contexts.
The students had access to real urban datasets. Throughout the week, they were supported by academic experts and professionals who provided tailored guidance and mentorship.
The event concluded on 4 April with a final pitch session in front of a jury of experts and city representatives. Projects were assessed based on their relevance, creativity, technical feasibility, and potential for real-world application.
The jury included:
- Élisabeth de Maistre, Deputy of Hauts-de-Seine
- Sandy Vétillart and Emmanuelle Cornet-Ricquebourg, Deputy Mayors of Boulogne
- Pierre-Yves Jourdan, Angers Loire Développement
- Raphaël Vienne, Head of AI at Datacraft
- Representatives from ESSCA, ESSCA Junior Conseil, and the EUonAIR team
Spotlight on the winning projects
📊 Smart infrastructure planning in Angers: Using open data to strategically position new infrastructure in line with environmental and social priorities.
🚗 Electric Vehicles as Energy Assets: Enabling parked EVs to feed unused battery power back into the grid.
🚮 AI for waste traceability: An intelligent tracking system to increase circularity and efficiency in urban waste management.
🚅 Optimising public transport in Boulogne: using data and AI to improve flow, frequency and accessibility.
Beyond the competition: A collective learning experience
More than just a competition, the hackathon was a collaborative and interdisciplinary experience that aligned with EUonAIR's broader mission: to integrate AI into education, research, and mobility for meaningful societal change.
This initiative was made possible with the support of the EUonAIR European alliance, the cities of Angers and Boulogne-Billancourt, Datacraft, ESSCA's AI for Sustainability Institute and ESSCA Junior Conseil.
Congratulations to all participants for their creativity, teamwork, and meaningful contributions to urban innovation.
