Youth Climate Innovation Hackathon: Shaping Ukraine’s Green Future
Youth Climate Innovation Hackathon organized by the Kyiv School of Energy Policy with support from the Ukrainian Climate Office brought together 30 talented students from Ukraine’s top technical universities to tackle real-world climate challenges posed by leading businesses.
Оn 28-29 August 2025, the Youth Climate Innovation Hackathon, organised by the Kyiv School of Energy Policy with the support of the Ukrainian Climate Office, took place in Kyiv at UNIT.City.
The event brought together thirty students from leading universities of Ukraine, including Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics, National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”, National University “Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic”, and National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”. The students worked in six interdisciplinary teams on real-life climate challenges proposed by Ukrainian businesses.
Over the course of two days, the participants had the opportunity not only to give developing climate solutions a try, but also to work with mentors from leading companies and present the results of their work. Case studies for the teams were prepared by KNESS, DTEK Renewables, iSolar, and UNIT.City/UDP Renewables. The tasks included finding decarbonisation models for industrial enterprises, developing solutions for mutual aid energy clusters in crisis situations, creating new renewable energy projects, and preparing investment pitches to attract foreign partners.
The final presentations were judged by a jury of business representatives, innovative companies and partners. The winners were the Green Wave team (Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics), who presented a simulator for selecting the optimal ratio of solar and wind power in joint projects with a single connection point. The second place went to the GreenVibe team (Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute), who came up with a solution for creating hardware and a software platform for direct electricity exchange between industrial parks and communities. In third place was the EcoBoost team (Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic and Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute), who developed an investment model for the development of a new renewable energy project by DTEK Renewables.
In addition to the main awards, all teams received prizes from partners DTEK Renewables, KNESS, and iSolar, as well as an extended subscription to ChatGPT to further develop their ideas. Each participant also received a voucher for purchasing books, which should be an additional incentive to stay in the field of climate innovation development.
The hackathon also received institutional support from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. The event was opened by their Director General, Hryhoriy Mozolevych, who stressed the importance of engaging students in real climate challenges, as they shape the future of the country’s scientific and engineering potential.
The event became an excellent example of cooperation between business, education and the state, forming a new generation of climate leaders in Ukraine, capable of creating practical solutions for sustainable reconstruction and the green transformation of the country.
The Youth Climate Innovation Hackathon was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany (BMWE) as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), and co-financed by the European Union.