The Zero City Lab Hackathon in Korçë, Pogradec, and Prrenjas brought together local innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers for three days of intensive collaboration, creativity, and solution-building focused on circular economy challenges.
The hackathon kicked off with the participation of 20 teams, who began working closely with mentors to develop innovative ideas aimed at reducing waste and promoting more sustainable urban systems. Opening remarks from representatives of ALBICT, the Municipality of Korçë, and the EU4Circular Economy and Livable Cities project highlighted the importance of local innovation and cross-sector collaboration in driving environmental transformation in the region.
Throughout the second day, participants engaged in mentoring sessions and practical workshops designed to strengthen both their solutions and their ability to communicate them effectively. With guidance from experienced experts, teams refined their concepts and prepared to present their ideas to a jury, focusing on impact, feasibility, and scalability.
The hackathon concluded with 17 teams pitching their solutions, addressing challenges across sectors such as waste management, sustainable production, and circular business models. Following the evaluation process, 11 teams were selected to advance into the acceleration phase, where they will receive further support to develop and implement their ideas.
The selected teams: Back2ValueLab, EKOPROD, Pam Plast, Gjelberimi shpk, Boulevard Boutique Hotel, Legacy Hill, M2 Furniture, Thomas Enkelana, Design Food – Thomo’s Lab, EcoSofra, and Agrofarm shpk, demonstrated strong potential to contribute to more sustainable and resilient local economies.
As the programme moves into its next phase, the Zero City Lab journey continues with an acceleration programme that will support these ideas in scaling their impact and bringing circular solutions closer to implementation.
Zero City Lab is financially supported by the European Union and the German Government through EU4Innovation and EU4Circular Economy and Livable Cities, and implemented by ALBICT and Layer in partnership with local municipalities.
