NANDO is specializing in microbial biostimulants and seeks ingenious proposals to empower its customers with an efficient and economical method for precise and more harmless fertilizer planning. The excessive application of nitrogen and phosphates is leading to water pollution and disrupting soil microbial growth all around the EU. NANDO invites you to design an innovative solution to tackle the prevalent issue of overfertilization caused by the indiscriminate use of fertilizers in European agricultural farms. Depending on the maturity of the idea, NANDO offers Hackathon participants the opportunity for either business cooperation or the initiation of a joint project or pilot to test the presented idea.
What is the challenge about?
NANDO concentrates on the prevalent issue of overfertilization in European agriculture which poses a significant threat to environmental and agricultural sustainability. The company develops and markets biostimulants, surfactants and chemical products for use in crop and livestock production and in various industries through innovation, combining scientific advances in biotechnology, chemistry, and engineering.
The indiscriminate use of fertilizers, particularly nitrogen and phosphates, has led to a range of interconnected problems in the Baltic Sea Region and EU in general. One of the primary concerns is water pollution. The excessive application of fertilizers results in runoff, contaminating water bodies. This pollution triggers eutrophication, characterized by algae blooms that deplete oxygen levels in aquatic environments, harming fish and other aquatic life and compromising overall water quality.
Additionally, overfertilization disrupts the delicate nutrient balance in the soil, contributing to soil degradation. This disruption affects soil structure, microbial activity, and fertility, leading to issues such as soil compaction and increased vulnerability to erosion. Such soil degradation jeopardizes the long-term productivity of agricultural lands.
The loss of biodiversity is another consequence of overfertilization, as it alters the composition of plant species in ecosystems. This decline in biodiversity not only affects the resilience of agricultural landscapes but also has broader implications for ecosystem health.
Furthermore, there are human health concerns associated with overfertilization. The runoff from overfertilized fields can contaminate drinking water sources with nitrates, posing health risks, especially for vulnerable populations such as infants.
NANDO are addressing the multifaceted challenges of overfertilization and requires innovative solutions. Designing sustainable agricultural practices and introducing environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional nitrogen-based fertilizers are crucial steps. These solutions aim to not only reduce the environmental impact of fertilizers but also promote the long-term health of ecosystems and communities.
NANDO is looking for:
- Smart Agricultural Platforms (intelligent systems that leverage biostimulants to provide real-time soil health data, enabling farmers to make informed and precise decisions on fertilizer application).
- Biostimulant Integration (methods for integrating biostimulants into existing agricultural practices, enhancing soil health, and mitigating the negative impacts of overfertilization).
- Precision Fertilization Technologies (technologies that allow for precise and controlled fertilizer application, minimizing runoff and reducing water pollution while maintaining or improving crop yields)
- Educational and Outreach Programs (strategies to educate farmers on the environmental impacts of overfertilization and promote the adoption of environmentally friendly alternatives, potentially including pilot programs for testing and implementation.
- Eco-Friendly Fertilizer Alternatives (innovate new fertilizers or methods that can replace traditional nitrogen-based fertilizers, focusing on sustainability and reduced environmental impact.
- Other innovative solutions to tackle the prevalent issue of overfertilization.
Why you should participate in the NANDO Hackathon?
Depending on the level of development of the proposed ideas/solutions, participants in the NANDO Hackathon will have the chance for either business cooperation or the initiation of joint projects or pilots to test their presented concepts.
As a finalist, you will also get to:
- establish cooperation and network with other companies and specialists with interest in the same field
- establish international contacts and connections in the field of your interest
- test your ideas with feedback from a potential client and dis-cover how to match your idea/solution with the needs of the end-users
- develop the commercialization potential of your idea and dis-cover new business opportunities with expert mentors’ sup-port
- get international recognition and visibility for your teams’ know-how.
Time-line
The NANDO Hackathon Launch Webinar taking place 21 February 14:00 EET. Please register HERE.
Hackathon participants
This Challenge is open for all interested teams: startups, established companies, research institutes, educational organizations, and other actors. Your team can also consist of collaboration between several organizations. The Hackathon is international and working language is English. Hackathon participation is free. We will also offer compensation for travel expenses to international teams from the EU and the Baltic Sea region (Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).
The evaluation criteria used to select the teams and finally the winner:
- Uniqueness of the proposed solution in addressing overfertilization issues.
- How well the solution integrates into practical and scalable agricultural practices.
- Feasibility of implementation within NANDO’s products and services.
- Assessment of the proposed solution’s overall environmental impact, including its contribution to water quality improvement, soil health, and biodiversity conservation.
- Likelihood of widespread adoption by farmers and the broader agricultural community.
More information:
Antanas Popiera, antanas@ssmtp.lt, +37065819240
About the organizer:
Sunrise Tech Park is a non-profit organization, founded in 2003. The Park features long-standing traditions in the development of entrepreneurship, promotion of business and science collaboration, provision of infrastructure, and other innovation support services to young, innovative enterprises as well as to other knowledge-intensive businesses.
The Park is a perfect place for innovative technological enterprises, enterprising members of the universities community, and an R&D environment, who aim to commercialize their knowledge, establish and develop businesses and expand innovative activity.
In collaboration with:
JAMK, Jyväskylä University of Applied Science has long experience in organizing hackathons. BioBoosters by JAMK is a Bioeconomy Business Accelerator that aims to create new businesses and globally significant solutions to combat climate change in the international bioeconomy environment. Accelerator’s key tasks are to develop business within bioeconomy and create sustainable business based on new innovations, utilizing new technologies and digitalization, developing abilities and know-how, and building business networks and ecosystems.
BioBoosters project network supports Nando Hackathon via communication and marketing cooperation. The network features 9 prominent bioeconomy innovation hubs around the Baltic Sea – from Finland, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The BioBoosters project will organize a total of 18 Hackathons to support the sustainability mission of the bioeconomy companies. The project is co-funded via the Interreg BSR program and the European Regional Development Fund.
