UNITAR Online Catalogue
SDG Open Hack! Nanning College for Vocational Technology (NCVT)
Accelerating SDG Implementation
Background
In partnership with UNITAR and Tsinghua University, the first SDG Open Hack of Nanning College for Vocational Training (NCVT) took place, under the support of the Steering Committee and companies, like the Beijing Wonderful Education Technology Co., Ltd.
The event was jointly organised by nine schools of NCVT, open to universities and colleges around NanningCity, bringing together more than 700 student innovators to participate in a 24-h hack.
Students can freely choose challenge topics according to their interests, form an interdisciplinary innovation team online, and work hard to develop innovative solutions within 24 hours for challenges related to a certain field virtually.
Event Objectives
This hackathon aimed at introducing university students in China to different SDG topics and engage them into the process of open innovation for addressing relevant idenitified challenges.
Content and Structure
The hackathon used a blended format of content and structure, including expert presentations on different topics, methodologies of innovation development challenges and self-organised group work for the final event deliverables. In particular, the hackathon run in 2 consecutive days, leading to the participants' final presentations.
Methodology
Hackathon is a method of open innovation practice, implying an intense, uninterrupted, period of collective problem solving. Methodologies of SDG Innovation, such as developing an idea to a concrete plan, team building and communicating effectively a meaningful solution by learning how to pitch were integrated as training to foster the participants' innovation outcomes and deliverables through the production of a few-minute demonstration of the innovation concept and its value.
Targeted Audience
The event's target audience included university students from 9 universities in China.