In November 2026, students from the tri-border region are warmly invited to take part in a three-day international ideathon as part of the project “Green Future of the Border Region”.
Join the IDEATHON - CrossBorder Challenge from 6 - 8 November in Bogatynia (PL)! - a three-day, collaborative, interdisciplinary event with a competitive character, taking place as part of the Polish-German Interreg project “Green Future of the Border Region”.
Who? Students and all interested persons aged 18 and over from all fields of study from the tri-border region.
What? Find creative solutions for sustainable development in the region in intercultural, interdisciplinary teams based on specific case studies. (Possible results: conceptual – also completely analogue, or mock-ups and digital prototypes)
Why? Put your specialist knowledge into practice, meet new people and potential employers and perhaps even win a cash prize!
How do I get there? We will organise a bus shuttle from Zittau, Jelenia Góra and Liberec to Bogatynia.
Anything else? Food and accommodation in Bogatynia will be provided! (Please indicate when registering whether you require accommodation.)
How much does it cost? Participation in the event is free of charge! (Binding registration)
Is there an opportunity to prepare for it? Of course - we invite everyone in advance to Design Thinking and prototyping workshops to acquire a few skills. On 6 November, we will also invite participants to an excursion in order to gain a better understanding of the situation in Bogatynia.
The aim is to develop new ideas or concepts within 24 hours in international and interdisciplinary teams!
Short version:
Our ideathon is primarily aimed at students from the tri-border region. They are invited to find creative solutions whose output is relevant to sustainable development in the region.
An inspiring excursion is planned for Friday, 6 November.
From Saturday to Sunday, the selected case studies will be worked on in small groups: These are challenges of
structural transformation in the tri-border region in the areas of business, technology, social affairs, natural sciences, digitalisation, ecology, tourism and culture.
A 24-hour “marathon” for developing concepts and finding solutions, which will be presented on Sunday to a diverse international jury.
Event language: English
(Cash) prizes and the opportunity to present the participants’ own ideas at the Cooperation Forum in Karpacz in
November are available for the best results!
If you still have any questions about the event, please feel free to contact us by email.
In interdisciplinary teams, you will develop creative solution approaches for the future of the region within a short period of time. The focus will be on ideas that are not only innovative, but also practically relevant and feasible.
On Sunday, you will present your results to an international and diverse jury.
The best teams can look forward to prize money as well as the opportunity to present their idea further at the Cooperation Forum in Karpacz in November 2026.
The event language is English.
In May 2025, the international Hackathon “Sustainable Crossborder Solutions” brought together young people from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic in Zittau. Working in interdisciplinary teams, they developed creative, practice-oriented prototypes and ideas within 48 hours to address real challenges in the tri-border region – from energy and agriculture to flood protection and digital tools for education and participation.
The results impressively demonstrate the innovative power that emerges from collaboration across borders and disciplines.
View the results:
Zu den Ergebnissen:
FlowApp
Agrion
FrameUp
Chatbot
Here I am
Solar Lastenrad
The project “Green Future of the Border Region” is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the INTERREG Poland–Saxony 2021–2027 Cooperation Programme.
