Who can participate?

• The EU Datathon 2020 is open worldwide to anyone who is interested in creating a profit or non-profit (social) business model through data exploration and/or in creating open data prototype products based on open and public data.
• A team can be composed of one or more individuals (up to 4), one or more companies or one or more other legal entities.
• Finalists from previous EU Datathons can only participate with a new project for this year’s competition. The EU Datathon 2020 is not open to staff working in the EU institutions, agencies, bodies and partnering organisations.

What are the challenges?

The EU Datathon 2020 consists of four challenges which are based on the von der Leyen Commission Priorities. Each challenge is organised as a separate competition of equal importance, under the umbrella of the EU Datathon competition (separate registration, shortlisted teams, presentations and prizes).

The competition is taking place within the annual ‘European Week of Regions and Cities’, and therefore it has a special focus on regional and local level.

Teams may participate in any or all of the following challenges but with only one proposal per challenge.

• Challenge 1: ‘A European Green Deal’

• Potential opportunity to be addressed by team: Demonstrate how EU research and innovation initiatives for a greener Europe can positively influence the EU and/or European regions. Alternatively, show how regions and cities can contribute to a greener Europe.
• Mandatory datasets: Combine at least two datasets. One dataset from HORIZON 2020 (Horizon 2020 open data from CORDIS and/or European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation) and one dataset from either the European Structural Investment Funds (Open data portal and list of operations), the European Patent Office, the European Union Intellectual Property Office,  the European Environment Agency, the European Investment Bank, the EMODnet website, the European Data Portal, the EU Open Data Portal, Eurostat, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank and/or the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
• Optional datasets: Any other dataset.

• Challenge 2: ‘An economy that works for people’

• Potential opportunity to be addressed by team: Show how the European Union helps achieve cohesion in regions and cities through EU research funding. Alternatively, outline how research and patents can contribute to creating jobs and growth for Europe.
• Mandatory datasets: Combine at least two datasets from HORIZON 2020 (Horizon 2020 open data from CORDIS and/or European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation), the EU Open Data Portal, the European Structural Investment Funds (Open data portal and list of operations), the European Investment Bank, the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the European Central Bank, the European Data Portal, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Eurostat, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and/or the World Bank.
• Optional datasets: Any other dataset.

•  Challenge 3: ‘A new push for European democracy’

• Potential opportunity to be addressed by team: Develop new ways to empower citizens and businesses to tackle societal challenges by using open data: improve transparency; fight disinformation; protect elections; foster citizen engagement; make the voices of the EU people heard. Alternatively, improve the fairness of public investment and fight corruption with the social control of public affairs (as for example the initiatives: of Integrity pacts or At the School of Open Cohesion).
• Mandatory datasets: Combine at least two datasets from the European Central Bank, Eurostat, the European Structural Investment Funds (Open data portal and list of operations), the European Asylum Support Office, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank, the European Patent Office, the European Data Portal and/or the EU Open Data Portal.
• Optional datasets: Any other dataset.

• Challenge 4: ‘A Europe fit for the digital age’

• Potential opportunity to be addressed by team: Propose apps or services to support the European digital transformation by improving data skills or making data more understandable for everyone.
• Mandatory datasets: Combine at least two datasets from the European Central Bank, Eurostat, the European Structural Investment Funds (Open data portal and list of operations), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank, the European Patent Office, the European Data Portal and/or the EU Open Data Portal.
• Optional datasets: Any other dataset.

Submit your proposal with a short description by 3 May. 

Twelve winning teams (i.e. three teams per challenge) will be shortlisted. If you are among them, you will be invited to develop your application and present it on 13-15 October during the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels, an event that attracts more than 9 000 participants.

The final ranking of the winning teams for each challenge will be decided at this event and the teams will be awarded the following prizes (for each of the challenges):

• First place: EUR 12 000
• Second place: EUR 8 000
• Third place: EUR 5 000

For more information please see the attached Rules for the participation as well as the official EUdatathon2020 website.