Creative business workshops “Hacker Games. Open Data” intended to encourage the use of open data will take place in Klaipėda for the first time. On the 15th through 17th of November, technology developers are invited to take action to address challenges related to the opened up public sector data and problems raised by institutions. The teams will have a chance to further develop as start-ups the business ideas delivered during the 48-hour creative business workshops.

Professionals from various fields interested in innovation, data analytics, technology development or digital marketing can participate in the hackathon that will take place in the port city. During the event, the participants will be encouraged to develop innovative data using the opened up public data sets of the Centre of Registers, “Sodra”, the Public Procurement Office, “Ignitis” and Klaipėda region institutions.

“Innovative open data-based products in the public sector can open up new opportunities for more open cooperation with service users. This is of particular importance for municipalities whose decisions affect the quality of life of the entire urban population. The solutions developed would also help the residents of various ages to become involved in a more active public life, and the entrepreneurs – to understand the investment environment and make the right decisions“, – says Jurgita Drizgaitė, the representative of Klaipėda City Municipality Administration.

Mentoring sessions will be held for participants

According to Roberta Rudokienė, the Head of the Start-up Ecosystem Unit “Startup Lithuania“ of Entrepreneurship Promotion Agency Enterprise Lithuania, forming a team of like-minded people is not enough to develop a quality product within 48 hours. Mentoring sessions are necessary for this purpose. Consequently, the participants in the hackathon will have an opportunity to test the solutions of the product being developed and get valuable insights from the representatives of institutions, business development experts.

This hackathon stands out by its specific topics – all products developed should be intended for improving the quality of life of the society and making the work of institutions more effective. We make significant efforts for future mentors to help the participants better understand the existing challenges of the public sector, the market needs, to provide knowledge on product commercialization issues. We hope that the synergy between the public sector and business that is sought by this hackathon will produce successful results and we will soon have more success stories like “Trafi” start-up that offers innovative solutions in the field of public transport”, – tells R. Rudokienė.

Teams or individuals who wish to participate in the event must register in advance. On the last day of the event, the teams that demonstrated the best results during the hackathon “Hacker Games. Open Data“ will be awarded valuable prizes established by the partners.

Preliminary question-and-answer (Q&A) session

A preliminary question-and-answer (Q&A) session will be organized for the first time to ensure smooth participant preparation for the hackathon. During the session, institutions will share their insights with prospective participants in the event, will provide the necessary knowledge of open data sets and the institutional problems raised. On the 25^th of October, the preliminary session will be broadcast live from the “Facebook” account of the event “Hacker Games. Open Data”.

The creative business workshops “Hacker games”, organized by the Start-up Ecosystem Unit “Startup Lithuania“ of Entrepreneurship Promotion Agency Enterprise Lithuania, has been taking place since 2015. Developers aged 16 to 40, such as programmers, graphic designers, business idea developers, and other professionals and enthusiasts who want to test themselves, usually participate in the hackathons. In 2018, the total of 600 participants participated in three hackathons organized by “Startup Lithuania”.

 More information about the event.