LocationsWe held the TechGenius hackathon in Tashkent
November 14, 2023
On November 10-12, 2023, in the building of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in collaboration with the National Office for Innovation and Technology Transfer, IT PARK Uzbekistan, Phystech.Genesis and HACKONNECT, we held an exemplary hackathon “TechGenius” (www.techgenius.uz) in three directions, with the participation of Evgeny Anikin, founder of Phystech.Genesis, as a moderator, and a number of experts from well-known companies, such as Twitter, as mentors.
The hackathon not only provided participants with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and talents but also allowed them to gain practical experience in creating innovative projects. The event promoted the development of innovative solutions, and young developers, designers and students took part in it.
Within 48 hours, participants had to explore new ideas and technologies, and develop innovative projects that could solve complex problems in the following areas:
Track 1. Energy: an application needed to be developed to optimize energy consumption in homes and offices. 8 teams consisting of 36 participants were selected to participate.
Track 2. Agriculture: it was necessary to develop a solution that predicts the degree of development of crop diseases. 10 teams consisting of 43 participants were selected to participate.
Track 3. Science: it was necessary to develop a platform for collaboration between scientists to speed up research and conveniently discuss hypotheses. 8 teams consisting of 40 participants were selected to participate.
Most of the selected participants had IT and UI design backgrounds (some of them are even from such advanced fields as AI, machine learning and data science). Teams had members with business backgrounds, IT professionals, and students who were interested in programming/design. From 530 applications received, 119 participants were selected based on the following criteria:
1) submitted applications as teams,
2) had competencies in advanced areas such as AI, ML, DS,
3) had experience in the IT field,
4) had both IT and business competencies in the teams
and 5) which also had at least 1 female representative in the team.
At the end of the 48-hour hackathon, the following teams became winners:
- Nomination "Energy" - Tzeentch
- Nomination "Agriculture" - Qalamx
- Nomination "Science" - TeamIT
- Nomination “Best Presentation” - Technoblade, Dots
- Nomination “Funniest Meme” - Build BRAIN
- Nomination “Best Technical Implementation” - Innovatsiyachi
The winners of each category were rewarded with valuable prizes - electronic gadgets.
The event was also attended by specialists responsible for innovation activities of industry associations, banks and large companies as guests.
TechGenius provided a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience between participants and guests, facilitating the creation of new connections and partnerships. Specialists attended the hackathon would be able to gain valuable practical experience that could be used to conduct similar events in their organizations.
This event was organized in the framework of the Joint Project of the UNDP and the Ministry of Economy and Finance “Unlocking opportunities for Youth Economic Empowerment through Digitalization” funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
