This week, on December 5th and 6th, six teams from Latvia, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, and Turkey gathered to participate in the Stora Enso hackathon organized by the Vidzeme Planning Region. This time, the victory was claimed by the team Kagon AB from Sweden.
The main task of the teams was to seek innovative, eco-friendly solutions to combat the dual threats of blue stain in sawn logs and wood-damaging insects without increasing water consumption
“Participating in the hackathon as a supplier is a valuable experience. It provides an opportunity to explore diverse solutions in various markets, engage directly with decision-makers, and gain unique perspectives on your own offerings. Seeing innovative approaches from others broadens your understanding and highlights areas for growth. Most importantly, coming prepared with a well-tested idea is crucial to making a meaningful impact,” says the winning teams’ representative Daniel Otterbeck.
“Receiving the invitation to join the hackathon was a fantastic opportunity to expand our knowledge and gain fresh ideas. Our goal was to explore sustainable solutions, and this event opened our eyes to perspectives we hadn’t even considered before. We’re now inspired to implement not just the winning teams’ idea, but also some of the innovative concepts we discovered from other teams. The outcome was better than expected,” emphasizes Uldis Deisons, Stora Enso Wood Products, Launkalne Mill Director.
In total, nine teams applied to participate in the Stora Enso hackathon, of which six were selected – one from Finland (Woolherd), Ukraine (State Forest Resources Agency), Turkey (Crop Genius), Sweden (Kagon AB), Latvia (Good Bugs) and one team with participants from Latvia and Sweden (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences & Latvian State forest research institute “Silava”).
Stora Enso hackathon is part of the international BioBoosters project co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. The project brings together nine innovation networks in the bioeconomy sector from countries around the Baltic Sea: Finland, Sweden, the Baltic States, Poland, and Germany. The project organizes 18 Hackathons to support responsible business practices and the transition to a circular economy for bioeconomy companies.
More information about the Stora Enso hackathon: https://www.vidzeme.lv/en/join-the-stora-enso-hackathon/
The “BioBoosters” project was launched in January 2023, it is implemented by partners from Finland, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The project will last three years and its total budget is 2.8 million euros. The project is co-financed by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Program.
More information about the project: https://www.vidzeme.lv/en/projects/boosting-the-circular-transition-bsr-bioboosters/
