UNDP has selected the winning ideas from the "Youth-Driven Green Innovation" hackathon. The event took place from 27 February to 1 March at the Technical University of Moldova, with the support of the EU-funded and UNDP implemented project "Enabling an inclusive green transition in the Republic of Moldova".

The hackathon brought together over 60 young people who, for 72 hours, worked against the clock to develop viable concepts and solutions dedicated to a greener future for the Republic of Moldova. 

Enthusiastic and creative, participants benefited from guidance from mentors in various fields –- environment, entrepreneurship, and technology – and at the end of 72 hours of intensive work, they presented their final projects to the jury. The finalists convinced the jury with their relevance, innovation, and potential impact. 

• SALVIO team (Dorian Lesnic, George Mocreac, Cristian Buza, Iulian Botnaru, Nicolae Cociorva), 1st place – creation of a marketplace dedicated to unsold construction materials, facilitating the efficient use of stocks;
• ECOU team (Emilian Craciun, Miroslav Rotari, Vitalie Berzoi, Nikita Moglan, Petru Lunic), 2nd place – developing an analysis platform that provides recommendations and long-term forecasts on crop development by integrating sensors installed in the field that transmit real-time data on soil conditions;
• AirPoftă team (Irina Calincov, Nicolai Calincov, Irina Țurcan, Vlada Casapciuc), 3rd place – development of transport optimization tools, through modern drone delivery solutions, to streamline logistics and reduce costs. 

"The ideas developed were innovative, but at the same time practical enough. Participants put into practice the principles of green transition, in particular, the concept of decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation. This means that economic progress should and can go hand in hand with sustainability," said Virginia Bîlici, Project Manager at UNDP Moldova.

Beyond the competition, the hackathon was a platform for learning and collaboration, where young people strengthened their teamwork, critical thinking, and sustainable business model development skills.

Participating teams will continue to receive dedicated support for developing their ideas and will have the opportunity to participate in a pre-accelerator programme for innovation in the field of ecology, aimed at transforming concepts into applicable and scalable solutions.