Change the world in 48 hours
SCO-TTi research team at the "Sustainable Crossborder Solutions" hackathon.
In May of this year, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences hosted the international hackathon “Sustainable Crossborder Solutions.” Although the event took place several months ago, its results and momentum continue to have an impact far beyond that weekend. Over the course of 48 hours, the event brought together creative minds from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany to collaborate on sustainable solutions for real-world challenges in the tri-border region. The focus was on topics such as energy efficiency, resource conservation, economic development, and social innovation.
As part of the BMBF project “PerspektiveArbeit Lausitz, ” the SCO-TTi research team, in collaboration with ARNIO GmbH, prepared one of eight case studies for the hackathon. The goal was to design, develop, and present a smart, energy-efficient customer chatbot demonstrator for multilingual use in organizations and companies, which was intended to meet several requirements.
Modern Infrastructure with Dedicated Support
During the hackathon, participants had access to modern infrastructure. Among other things, 3D printers, laser cutters, and labs were available, along with an interdisciplinary work environment featuring dedicated support and versatile methodological assistance.
The case study from the PAL research project, conducted in cooperation with the company ARNIO, particularly impressed one of the hackathon participants—Maciej Gmur from neighboring Poland. Even before the event, he had shown great interest in the hackathon’s thematic focus, particularly the collaboration among the three neighboring countries. “Originally, I was drawn to the hackathon’s overall purpose: the collaboration of three neighboring countries, ” says Maciej Gmur. “I thought it was great to do something for our region, and even more so that the projects and the event itself placed a strong emphasis on environmental aspects. After that, I fell in love with the atmosphere: a modern university, a beautiful city, and unique people who were on the same wavelength. My personal goal was to give a compelling presentation. And to a certain extent, I succeeded. This was my first hackathon—and hopefully not my last.”
Maciej was characterized by a high degree of creativity and initiative. Beyond the actual requirements of the case study, he developed additional ideas for the further development of the chatbot concept with the support of his supervisors from the SCO-TTi and ARNIO research team, for example for improved user guidance and the modular integration of specialist content. It was clear that he was not only concentrating on solving a technical task, but was also seriously considering the potential of such a system in the university context and in the context of regional companies.
Over the course of 48 hours, a functional demonstration concept was developed that took into account key requirements such as energy efficiency, language diversity and user orientation. Even if not every technical detail could be fully realized during the weekend, the creative solution and concrete applicability were clearly the focus of the contribution. Maciej's work was recognized by the Hackathon jury with a special prize.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the hackathon not only generated innovative ideas, but also an extremely positive atmosphere. The mixture of intercultural cooperation, technical challenges and sustainable objectives made the event a valuable experience - both for the participants and the supervisors.
For ARNIO, the hackathon was an ideal opportunity to turn the topic of a multilingual service chatbot into a real prototype in the shortest possible time and to discuss its possibilities and limitations. The personal and professional exchange between all those involved will continue far beyond the hackathon.
The hackathon impressively demonstrated how much innovative power there is in interdisciplinary and international collaboration. Within just 48 hours, not only were creative technical solutions developed, but bridges were also built between countries, disciplines and people. The commitment of participants like Maciej Gmur in particular illustrates how important it is to give young talents spaces in which they can test and shape ideas with social relevance - this is precisely the spirit that the members of my research team SCO-TTi and I want to promote.
”When young, creative and committed people from different countries, disciplines and backgrounds come together, it's not just technical solutions or ideas that are created - it's the future. The hackathon was an impressive example of how much potential there is for our three-country region in open, collaborative innovation.
”The concept and demonstrator that were developed were further discussed and refined during the Lausitz Life & Technology Future Forum held on June 19, 2025, at HSZG, as well as in individual meetings with SCO-TTi and ARNIO.
We would like to thank Maciej for his tremendous dedication and outstanding achievement. Many thanks to all participants, advisors, and organizers for a very exciting and productive weekend!
Through PAL, 5 universities and 27 companies in Saxony and Brandenburg are conducting research and working to make work in the Lausitz region more efficient, attractive, and healthier through data-driven assistance systems. AI is thus being used to support structural change in the Lausitz region and create new employment opportunities to facilitate the transition from the coal industry to a long-term stable and sustainable economy. This is being done with a focus on the core values of a people-centered approach, sustainability, and competitiveness. The term “PAL” means “buddy” in English; accordingly, the AI solutions are intended to serve as a welcome source of support for users.
Project Duration:
October 1, 2023–October 31, 2026
Funding:
The underlying project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under grant number 02L19C329.
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